While Grass ' poem accused Israel of wanting to ` ` extinguish the Iranian people '' Referring to Grass ' past as a member of the Nazi Waffen-SS during World War II , Netanyahu said `` it is not surprising '' for the poet `` to cast the one and only Jewish state as the greatest threat to world peace and to oppose giving Israel the means to defend itself . '' Israeli leaders assail Iran , but Iran is the real threat . Grass was in the Nazi Waffen - SS during World War II .
While Grass ' poem accused Israel of wanting to ` ` extinguish the Iranian people '' Israeli leaders assail Iran , but Iran is the real threat . Grass was in the Nazi Waffen - SS during World War II .