Khamenei: Israel must be punish

The Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on Muslim countries to punish Israel for "her crimes in Gaza" and deplored the " encouraging silence " of certain Arab leaders, said Sunday the state television.

• "The Zionist regime must be punished by Muslim countries and the leaders of the usurper regime should be tried and punished personally for their crimes and for the long blockade against Gaza," said Khamenei.
  
  "All the Mujahidines (fighters) and Palestinian believers throughout the Muslim world have the duty to defend women and defenseless children in Gaza and will be regarded as martyrs if they lose their lives in this struggle," said Ayatollah Khamenei.
  
  "A disaster, even more encouraging, is the silence of some Arab governments who claim to be Muslims," he continued.
  
  The Iranian leader has declared Monday a day of national mourning in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
  
  He also stated that "human rights of the West and the Security Council of the UN are more than ever discredited.
  
  Iran is a faithful ally of Hamas, but the movement denies providing weapons and says the only support is financial and moral.
  
  Israel is the enemy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Tehran has never recognized the Jewish state. Israel believes that Iran, suspected of wanting to develop nuclear weapons, poses a threat to her existence.
  
  Israel continued her air attacks Sunday in Gaza, which have caused some 280 dead in 24 hours and threatened Hamas, which controls the Palestinian territory for a possible ground operation.
• M. Oudina/ Ennahar/ AFP