Iraqi political analyst Ghaith al-Tamimi says he applauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN speech.

Al-Tamimi told Sky News Arabic that he applauds Netanyahu “all the time.”

When pressed why he would applaud a leader accused of war crimes, al-Tamimi said because Netanyahu is “a leader who is ready to stand against the entire world for the sake of his people.”

Asked what about the Palestinians, al-Tamimi stressed that every leader is responsible to protect and do what’s best for his own people. The Palestinians are the responsibility of Palestinian leaders, not Netanyahu.

“Our interests lie with Israel,” al-Tamimi concluded. “We have no interests with Mahmoud Abbas or Yahya Sinwar. That is a fact."

Al-Tamimi, who today resides in the UK, faced calls for a media ban in Iraq after he suggested in July of this year that the Arab world drop the Palestinian cause and embrace Israel.