RUTHFULLY YOURS

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid leveled harsh criticism at Europe over the weekend, stating in opinion pieces in two major European newspapers that the EU’s policy of preferring Iran over Israel was “scandalous.”

In the articles, carried by Italian daily Corriere della Sera and German newspaper Die Welt, Lapid admonished the European community, saying, “You rush to sign contracts with the Iranians but you threaten to boycott Israel?!?”

Lapid lambasted world powers for reaching what he called “a terrible deal,” saying the agreement “sends the Middle East the message that the West is weak; that everyone who is lying cunningly enough will be rewarded.”

The former finance minister noted that since the agreement was signed on July 14th, and despite its clear stipulation that the economic sanctions imposed on Iran would be lifted gradually, “Since the closing ceremony in Vienna, the sanctions have not been gradually eliminated — they have been thrown out the window, and [European] countries have begun a frantic race for the Iranian market.”

Iran, Lapid wrote, no longer even attempts to disguise its involvement in the Syrian civil war, or its arming of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It has a deplorable human rights record, its regime denies the Holocaust, and has repeatedly stated it seeks Israel’s annihilation.

Still, rather than demanding that Iran comply with the West’s demand that Iran cease sponsoring international terrorism before pursuing trade ties with it, the European nations lecture Israel about violence and human rights, he wrote.

“Under normal circumstances, countries like Germany and Italy would boycott Iran. Instead, the international community threatens to boycott Israel, while lifting the sanctions imposed on Iran. Has the world gone mad?” Lapid concluded.