IRAN'S conservative president yesterday insisted he stands by his call for the destruction of Israel, amid a growing backlash against his comments both internationally and within his own country. Critics included the Palestinians.
The Iranian president, elected earlier this year to the dismay of Western diplomats, was attending an annual rally in Tehran yesterday, staged to show support for the Palestinian people. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the Iran leadership has denied Israel's right to exist, but the policy has rarely been expressed as boldly as it was on Wednesday when Mr Ahmadinejad called for the Jewish state to be "wiped from the map".
Some estimates said that more than one million Iranians rallied yesterday to support their president's remarks. "My words are the Iranian nation's words," said Mr Ahmadinejad. "Westerners are free to comment, but their reactions are invalid."
| Just wait til you see our next reaction. |
Critical reaction has not been confined to the West, however. Yesterday, the Palestinian Authority, fearful of jeopardising Western support, disavowed Iran's position. "Palestinians recognise the right of the state of Israel to exist until we can murder all the Jooos, anyway and I reject his comments," said Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian peace negotiator.
And even China, which ordinarily stays out of international disputes, expressed its "unease" about Mr Ahmadinejad's remarks. Russia, which has backed Iran's nuclear programme, has also been critical. In Moscow the Iranian Embassy tried to soften the impact of Mr Ahmadinejad's remarks, saying he "did not have any intention to speak in sharp terms and engage in a conflict".
Potentially even more significantly, there are indications from within Iran that the president may have over-reached himself. Ultimate power in Iran rests with Mohammed Khamenei, the unelected supreme leader and heir to Ayatollah Khomeni. Mr Khamenei already has placed curbs on his president's power after Mr Ahmadinejad - a former major of Tehran with no previous diplomatic experience - was seen to have mishandled the nuclear issue and strengthened US calls for UN action.
Despite the popular acclaim that some Iranians gave their president's remarks yesterday, political insiders in Tehran are speculating that Mr Ahmadinejad could find himself further undermined if Mr Khamenei concludes he has unnecessarily antagonised Western leaders.
| Ahmadinejad's been an imbecile. You're supposed to build nukes quietly and not say a word til you're good to go. Khamenei understands that. |
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