Israel praises Fidel

The Israeli president, Shimon Peres, and the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have praised the former Cuban president, Fidel Castro, for his support of Israel in a series of recent interviews.



Castro said Israel had the right to exist as a Jewish state and criticised the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for denying the Holocaust.



Peres sent the former Cuban leader a personal letter thanking him for his remarks, which he said were unexpected and rife with unique intellectual depth.



Netanyahu said the remarks showed a deep understanding of the Jewish people.