Just Spoiling for a War of Civilizations, Apparently ...

[saavedra77]

Speaking to a conference on "A World Without Zionism," Iranian President Ahmadinejad today remarked that "There is no doubt that the new wave (of attacks) in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot (Israel) from the face of the Islamic world... As the Iman (Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini) said, Israel must be wiped off the map." Ahmadinejad's remarks came on the same day that a suicide bomber killed at least five people in Northern Israel.

The Iranian President also had a warning for other Muslim states: "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury; any (Islamic leader) who recognizes the Zionist regime is acknowledging the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world."

Ibrahim Yazdi, a former Iranian Foreign Minister, responded to Ahmandinejad: "Such comments provoke the international community against us."

Ya think?! To judge from what I'm hearing and reading, the remark has been roundly denounced by the governments of Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Spain, the UK, and US. For starters.

The Beirut Daily Star concludes that Ahmadinejad's comments signalled the death knell of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, and a new level of confrontation with the West.

Comments

[schmallturm.livejournal.com]

Why is this news? AFAIK, only Egypt and Turkey have recognized Israel. The guy is just saying what every other Islamic state leader has said for the past fifty years.

[saavedra77.livejournal.com]

From the Beirut Daily Star: "Ahmadinejad's uncompromising tone represents a dramatic change from that of former president Mohammad Khatami (http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=19637), a mild-mannered cleric whose favored topic was 'dialogue among civilizations' and who led an effort to improve Iran's relations with the West."

From the Guardian (): "The (British) Foreign Office could not recall a similar statement from a senior Iranian leader since the former president Hashemi Rafsanjani five years ago called for a Muslim state to annihilate Israel (http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1601414,00.html) with a nuclear strike. Since then, there has been a mild thaw in relations between Muslim states, including Arab ones, and Israel."

From the Associated Press: "Relations between Israel and several Persian Gulf states have been thawing amid Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051026/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_israel) in September. Bahrain announced in September it was ending a decades-old law banning trade ties with Israel. In October, Qatar said it was donating $6 million to help build a soccer stadium for a mixed Arab-Jewish team, the first such financial assistance by an Arab state for any town inside Israel."

[morganminstrel.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure Jordan has recognized Israel as well.