Iran believes that state of Israel is “illegitimate” and believes in a “one-state solution”, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared Wednesday.
In an interview on France 2 television ahead of his upcoming visit to Paris, Rouhani said that "the current State of Israel is not legitimate. That is why we have no relationship with them because we do not consider the state as legitimate.”
"We believe that all who were of Palestinian origin and are wandering abroad must all return to their lands. There needs to be public elections under the supervision of the UN and, whatever the outcome, we will accept it," he added.
Rouhani made clear that he did not mean two states, an Israeli one and a Palestinian one, but rather one state.
"We say that everyone must meet to vote on the entire Palestinian territory as it was in its pre-1948 borders (the date of the creation of the State of Israel -ed.). We say that all Jews, all Muslims, all Christians and all people who are from Palestine and are wandering around the world must be able to return to Palestine," he stated.
The remarks should come as no surprise, as the Iranian president and many other Iranian leaders have spoken out against Israel.
Earlier this year, Rouhani claimed that Israel creates the "greatest danger" in the region, after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu detailed in Congress detailed how Iranian aggression is wreaking havoc in the Middle East.
Rouhani said Israel "claims to speak of peace and warns of future threats while it is the creator of the greatest danger for the region."
"The people of the world are content with the way negotiations with the P5+1 group are moving forward...but there is only this occupying regime that is enraged by these talks," Rouhani claimed in reference to Israel.
Shortly after being elected in 2013, Rouhani called Israel an "old wound" that "should be removed" , though Iranian media later claimed that Rouhani’s remarks were distorted.