There’s been a lot of tension between Israel and Iran, with the Syrian civil war fueling military conflict (which also involves outside nations such as the U.S.). On May 10, Israel hit dozens of Iranian targets in Syria in response to an alleged Iranian rocket attack on Israeli forces in Golan Heights. And Monday, when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei tweeted that Israel was a “cancerous tumor,” the Israeli Embassy naturally responded with a Mean Girls meme.
Israel and Iran
“Our stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. #Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen,” the Twitter account linked to Khamenei posted. The hashtag #GreatReturnMarch was added in reference to the ongoing Palestinian “Great March of Return” protests at the Gaza border.
Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an Islamist militant group formed in resistance to Israel. The territory is currently under an Israeli blockade, which Israel says is needed to weaken Hamas.
On the first day of the rally, March 30, Times of India reported that at least 122 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire. On May 14, at least 60 people were killed after protests escalated due to the U.S. Embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“This disproportionate and illegal use of lethal force against unarmed civilian protesters is criminal,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that “every country must protect its borders.”
What’s all this Mean Girls meme talk?
In response to Khamenei’s tweet saying that Israel has to be “removed and eradicated,” the Embassy of Israel in the U.S. replied with the following Mean Girls meme.
— Embassy of Israel (@IsraelinUSA) June 4, 2018
It’s a classic Regina George manipulation tactic, and the response has gone viral.
Since, they’ve taken a more serious response by retweeting a video from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office.
“The day before yesterday, Ayatollah Khamenei, ruler of Iran, declared his intention to destroy Israel,” he states in the video. “Yesterday he explained how he would do this – with the unrestricted enrichment of uranium in order to produce an arsenal of nuclear bombs. We are not surprised. We will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.”
Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi said that “what we are doing [increasing its enrichment of uranium] does not violate” the nuclear deal agreement. Iran has reportedly informed the International Atomic Entergy Agency (IAEA) of this plan.
Despite what the Israeli prime minister said — and what the U.S. thinks — Iran has claimed its nuclear program is not for military purposes.
On May 8, President Trump backed out of the Iran nuclear deal which, set up under Obama, ruled that Iran would stop nuclear development in exchange for the U.S. and allies dropping economic sanctions against them. In backing out of the deal, Trump ordered sanctions reimposed.
Khamenei said in a speech Monday, “The Iranian nation and its government will not tolerate to be both subject to sanctions and have its nuclear program restricted and imprisoned.”
