The mask slips
Iran's new president dropped quite the bomb.
The Scotsman has the story:
Iran president: Wipe Israel off map
Iran's ultra-conservative new president has broken his silence on Israel and declared the Jewish state was a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map".
With these words President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad set himself a foreign policy course sharply at odds with that of his moderate predecessor.
Harking back to language used by of the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel, the hard-line president also called Israel a "fabricated" entity.
His fiery words were certain to further heighten tensions over Iran's disputed nuclear programme.
Ahmadinejad also took a slap at some of Iran's Arab neighbours in the Persian Gulf as they seek to break new ground in their relations with Israel.
"Anybody who recognises Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury; any (Islamic leader) who recognises the Zionist regime is acknowledging the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world," state-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
The president was apparently addressing thousands of students during a Tehran conference called The World without Zionism.
"fabricated" entity indeed -- "Palestine" has less credibility as a state than Israel. What is it with these people?
Posted by DaveH at October 27, 2005 7:54 PM