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thomas davison

Binyamin Netanyahu: Isis and Hamas 'branches of the same poisonous tree'

During speech to UN general assembly, Israeli PM compares bombing campaign in Gaza to US-led strikes against Isis

theguardian.com, Monday 29 September 2014 18.37 BST

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared his country�s recent bombing campaign in Gaza to the US-led strikes against militants in Iraq and Syria on Monday, saying Hamas and the Islamic State (Isis) group share the same goal of world domination.

In a speech to the United Nations general assembly, Netanyahu railed against countries who condemned Israel for its war with Hamas while praising President Barack Obama for attacking Islamic State militants and other extremists.

The Israeli prime minister said those world leaders �evidently don�t understand that Isis and Hamas are branches of the same poisonous tree.�

Netanyahu also says Iran�s concern about the spread of terrorism was �one of history�s greatest displays of doubletalk.�

A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a far greater threat to the world than Isis, he said. �Make no mistake, Isis must be defeated. But to defeat Isis and leave Iran as a threshold nuclear power is to win the battle and lose the war.�

�Iran�s nuclear military capabilities must be fully dismantled,� he said, adding that the point of Tehran�s recent �charm offensive� for the West was get international sanctions lifted �and remove the obstacles to Iran�s path to the bomb.�

Earlier, Israel�s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had no intention of making peace with Israel, calling his speech to world leaders last week �a message of hatred and incitement.�

Lieberman also questioned Abbas� legitimacy to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people, saying he does not control the Gaza Strip, where Hamas remains in charge of security and elections have been postponed for more than four years.

Abbas accused Israel in his speech on Friday of carrying out �war crimes� and conducting a �war of genocide� in Gaza, but stopped short of saying he would pursue war crimes charges against Israel. He said he would ask the UN security council to dictate the ground rules for any talks with Israel, including setting a deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian lands