By: Emily Jones – CBN News; cbn.com
JERUSALEM, Israel – An Iranian group is reportedly threatening to destroy what local Jews believe to be the ancient burial site of Queen Esther and Mordechai in Hamedan in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.
The Basij group, a hardline student wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, released a statement earlier this month threatening to tear down the tomb and replace it with a Palestinian consulate.
“We warn the United States and the Zionist regime …that the first act of fulfilling their filthy desires and the slightest attack on Palestine and the holy al-Quds (Jerusalem) means that they will no longer occupy a place as Esther’s tomb…we’ll turn it into a Palestine consulate and you will see the fulfillment of this promise,” their statement said.
Ali Malmir, the director Hamedan’s tourism office, told Iran’s ISNA news site on February 7 that it is not possible to tear down the tomb because there are specific rules for cultural heritage buildings that cannot be violated.