Jerusalem: Israel`s Premier warned on Sunday that anti-Semitism remains rampant and is often expressed in `hatred` against the Jewish state, as Israel started to commemorate the horrors of the Holocaust.
Speaking before the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that “the lessons of the Holocaust have not been learned”.
“Hatred of Jews still sweeps across the world. Anti-Semitism has been renewed and amplified, and hatred against Jews is now directed against their state and its right to exist,” he warned.
Israel observes Holocaust Day on Monday, but events marking the day began at sunset on Sunday with a ceremony at Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, attended by Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and foreign dignitaries.
“Some deny the Holocaust, like Iran and its satellite (Lebanon`s) Hezbollah and (Palestinian) Hamas which openly call for the destruction of the state of the Jews,” Netanyahu said at the ceremony.
“If we do not have the strength to defend ourselves, the world will not stand by our side,” said Netanyahu, who also referred to Iran`s controversial nuclear programme.
Bureau Report
