BREAKING: ISRAEL PRAISES FIDEL CASTRO; NETANYAHU, PERES "MOVED" BY CASTRO REMARKS

Netanyahu: Fidel Castro has a deep understanding of Jewish history

PM, President Peres voice appreciation for remarks by former Cuban president, who said that Israel 'undoubtedly' has a right to exist.


"The remarks attributed to Castro demonstrate his deep understanding of the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel," Netanyahu said.

In an interview published on Wednesday, the former Cuban president told The Atlantic reporter Jeffery Goldberg, when asked whether Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, "Yes, without a doubt."

Castro referenced the Holocaust in the interview, saying "Now, let's imagine that I were Netanyahu," Castro said, "that I were there and I sat down to reason through [the issues facing Israel], I would remember that six million Jewish men and women, of all ages were exterminated in the concentration camps."

President Shimon Peres also addressed Castro's remarks, saying that the Cuban leader's support of Israel had "moved me very much."

"I must confess that your remarks were, in my opinion, unexpected and rife with unique intellectual depth," the president wrote in a message addressed to Castro.

[link to www.haaretz.com]

[link to www.ynetnews.com]