Khamenei singles out ‘Jewish’ Kushner in tweet decrying ‘filthy Zionist agents’

Iranian supreme leader attacks Israel-UAE normalization deal, says Gulf state acting ‘with utmost cruelty against the interests of the World of Islam’

By Marcy Oster 3 September 2020, 12:13 am Edit
Jared Kushner speaks next to US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien (R) in front of an El Al plane at the Abu Dhabi airport, following the arrival of the the first-ever Israeli flight to the UAE, on August 31, 2020. (KARIM SAHIB / AFP)
Jared Kushner speaks next to US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien (R) in front of an El Al plane at the Abu Dhabi airport, following the arrival of the the first-ever Israeli flight to the UAE, on August 31, 2020. (KARIM SAHIB / AFP)

JTA —  Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called out Jared Kushner as “the Jewish member of Trump’s family” in attacking the normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Khamenei made the comment on the White House senior adviser as part of a series of tweets Tuesday on his English-language Twitter feed.

“The nation of Palestine is under various, severe pressures. Then, the UAE acts in agreement with the Israelis & filthy Zionist agents of the US — such as the Jewish member of Trump’s family — with utmost cruelty against the interests of the World of Islam,” he tweeted.

Kushner is married to US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka.

In a veiled threat to the UAE, Khamenei also tweeted: “The #UAE betrayed the world of Islam, the Arab nations, the region’s countries, and #Palestine. Of course, this betrayal won’t last long.

“The UAE rulers opened the door of the region to the Zionists, and they have ignored and normalized the question of Palestine, which is a question about the usurpation of a country. This stigma will remain on them,” Khamenei wrote.

Israel and the UAE announced on August 13 that they were establishing full diplomatic relations, in a US-brokered deal that required Israel to suspend its plan to annex parts of the West Bank.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addresses the nation in a televised speech marking the anniversary of the 1989 death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, Iran, June 3, 2020. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

The UAE is just the third Arab country to agree to establish official relations with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan. Israeli and American officials have expressed hope that other Gulf Arab countries will soon follow suit, with relations based on mutual commercial and security interests and shared enmity toward Iran.

The UAE downgraded its relations with Iran in January 2016 amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report

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