Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Fidel Castro's affirmation of Israel's right to exist, saying he was full of admiration for the former Cuban leader.
In a press release, the prime minister said Saturday that Castro's remarks show his deep understanding of the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
During an interview with the US magazine Atlantic, Castro said Jews have been persecuted more than anyone else, and attacked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his denials of the Holocaust.
The former Cuban leader also said Israel undoubtedly had a right to exist.
President Shimon Peres sent Castro a missive thanking him for his words. "Your unexpected words constitute a kind of surprising bridge between a difficult reality and a new horizon," Peres wrote. "This is proof that those distant from one another can be close."