By Stan Goodenough
Echoing the sentiments of his president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards General Mohammed Ali Jaafari last week described Israel as "cancerus bacterium" which would soon be destroyed by "the radiation of Hizb'allah's fighters."
Jaafari expressed this belief, shared by millions throughout the Muslim and Arab world, in a letter conveying condolences to the leader of the Iranian and Syrian-supported Hizb'allah organization on the death of top terrorist Imad Mugniyah.
Similar letters of commitment to the destruction of the "Zionist entity" flooded Hizb'allah's offices, sent by, among others, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad himself.
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded to Jaafari's comments by lodging a letter of protest with the president of the United Nations Security Council.
"Jaafari's remarks express hope for the destruction of Israel. This is an anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic and racist remark. We hope that the Security Council will address Israel's complaint and will publish a letter of condemnation as it has done twice in the past following statements made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Israel's destruction and Holocaust denial," the Ministry said.
In the words of a ministry spokesman, the comment was "shameful and unprecedented" and one UN member state cannot say things like this about another member state. Doing so "is a grave and blatant transgression of the UN charter."
Iran has shrugged off what condemnation has been leveled against it for repeatedly threatening to destroy Israel.
Even though this goal (Israel's destruction) is spelled out in so many words, the international community has been reluctant to censure Tehran, even resisting calls to boycott the country until it changes course.
Original Source