RNA - Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi made the remarks in a statement on Friday night, a day after Israel’s parliament (Knesset) adopted a controversial bill that declares the occupying entity “the nation-state of the Jewish people.”
The law prioritizes “Jewish” values over democratic ones in the occupied territories, declares Jerusalem al-Quds the “capital” of Israel, allows Jewish-only communities, sets Hebrew as the official language of Israel and relegates Arabic from an official language to one with “special status.”
“The illegitimate and racist Zionist regime has been established on the foundation of the occupation of Palestinian territories and the massacre of their true owners, and the Israeli parliament's recent act is yet another attestation of the racist nature of this regime over the past 70 years,” Qassemi added.
The Iranian official further said Washington's support for the Tel Aviv regime, especially the US administration's move to relocate the country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, and attempts made by some Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, which he said has gone unpunished for its crimes against the Palestinian people, have emboldened the regime to continue with its Judaization of Palestinian territories.
According to Press TV, Qassemi also stressed that Israel's actions in the occupied territories would "undoubtedly lead to further instability in the region."
Earlier in the day, at least four Palestinians lost their lives and nearly 120 others sustained critical injuries when Israeli military aircraft and battle tanks hit targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
Nearly 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since the “Great March of Return” began in the Gaza Strip on March 30.
A total of 14,811 Palestinians have also sustained injuries of whom 366 are reportedly in critical condition.
The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution calls on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
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