22 April 2009

"Even today we still face elements that seek to destroy us, those who hate us, Holocaust deniers and various leaders who openly call for our extermination," Israeli Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, said on Monday evening at the Holocaust memorial ceremony held at the Massuah Institute for the Study of the Holocaust.
 
Just hours after the widely denounced speech given by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN racism conference in Geneva, Ashkenazi said the Israeli army was "capable of striking the farthest enemy."
 
Having said this, the Israeli chief of staff added that "we insist on preserving the morals unique to the Jewish people since its inception through the way we fight and conduct ourselves. Those who spoke of the 'supreme race,' and sought to rob us of our humanity, should know that the Israeli people is alive, determined to face any challenge, ready to face even the most complex threats and defeat them," said Ashkenazi.
 
Israel has been promoting for a war with Iran however it is believed that it is nothing more than media uproar rather than a reality. Last week, President Shimon Peres dismissed the idea that Israel was planning an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
 
Moreover, Israel has been waiting for the light green from Washington which is now following a different policy than the former policy of George W. Bush’s administration. US new administration is seeking the dialogue with Tehran along with other countries like Cuba that were boycotted by the former administration.
 
Israel Reactions On Ahmedinejad's Speech In Durban II

Israeli President Peres harshly criticized the United Nations anti-racism conference and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech.  
 
"I feel disgraced that a racist conference is opening in Geneva on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, with Ahmadinejad as guest of honor. This is the same Ahmadinejad that called for the destruction of Israel and wants it wiped off the map. There must be a limit to Switzerland's neutrality. Is Ahmadinejad the world's hope for the future?" Peres said.
 
Netanyahu Slams Ahmedinejad's Speech, Hails Diplomats Who Walked Out

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that "anti-Semitism is an old historical phenomenon, but if anyone thought that it would disappear after the atrocities of the Holocaust, today has proven them wrong."
 
Speaking at the Yad Vashem service marking Holocaust Remembrance Day and refereeing to Ahmadinejad speech at the UN anti-racism summit in Geneva, Netanyahu praised the nations which chose to shun the meeting and the diplomats who walked out of the forum while Ahmadinejad was speaking.
 
The hawkish prime minister, who took office about three weeks ago, criticized the president of Switzerland for meeting the Iranian President at the conference.
 
Barak: It's An Upside-Down World

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak also commented on Durban II, at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, saying, "It's an upside-down world, when the president of Iran can be a guest of honor at an anti-racism conference. "This is what we are here for; we have to straighten this world out."
 
Earlier Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman instructed Israel's Ambassador in Switzerland Ilan Elgar to return to Tel Aviv for consultations following Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz's meeting with Ahmadinejad.
 
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yossi Levy clarified that the move was made in protest of Switzerland's approach towards "a Holocaust denier who has spoken more than once about the need to wipe Israel off the map."