TEHRAN: Two days before his inauguration as Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani said on Friday that Israeli occupation of Palestinian land had inflicted a “wound” on the body of Muslim Ummah.
On the eve of his inauguration, Hassan Rohani told reporters that Israel was a foreign body that needs to be eradicated.
Hassan Rohani, 64 years old, was elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on June 14th, succeeding Ahmadinejad, in power since 2005. He is known for his moderation and claims to be open to dialogue with the West.
The former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of being enchanted by the unrest in Syria. State television showed on Friday hundreds of thousands of people marching through the country for the Al-Quds Day, chanting Death to Israel and Death to America. The protesters also denounced the resumption of negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel this week.
Tehran does not recognize Israel and Iranian officials call the Jewish state «illegitimate Zionist regime.
Mr. Rouhani said The Zionist regime has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world for years and the wound needs to be removed.
However, some reports suggest that the president-elect had called Israel an old wound in the body” but refrained from caling for its removal.
In reference to this weeks peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority under the auspices of Washington, he accused Israel to maintain its aggressive nature.
Israel, the enemy number one of the Iranian Islamic Republic, reacted immediately; Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, responded by saying Rouhani had shown his true face.
Before leaving office on Saturday, Ex-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared before the crowd of protesters in Tehran: I inform you, and God is my witness, that a ferocious storm is coming and it will uproot the Zionist entity, and added that Israel has no place in this region.
In his speech, Ahmadinejad accused Israel and the West of fomenting discord in the region. It was their dream to see the countries of the region determined to destroy and diverted to civil war.
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