(JPOST) — The ancient Persians in the Purim story didn’t try to kill the Jews, they actually saved them, at least according to the Iranian take on the Purim story as told by the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently struck a nerve with Zarif over the past few days by comparing the current Iranian regime, which openly says it wants to destroy Israel, to ancient Persia, and attempts there – as told in the Book of Esther – to destroy the Jews.
Just as plots hatched in Persia to destroy the Jews did not succeed thousands of years ago, Netanyahu told children at a synagogue in Caesarea on Saturday night, “Also today they want to destroy us from Persia; they will not succeed.” But Zarif has taken umbrage.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, he wrote: “To sell bigoted lies against a nation which has saved Jews three times, Netanyahu resorting to fake history & falsifying Torah. Force of habit.”