Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the Washington Post on Sunday that Palestinians should be able to vote the “Zionist regime” out of existence as a way of solving the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“I think they should allow the people of Palestine in all the territories of Palestine to decide, and whatever they decide, that is what should be done,” Ahmadinejad told interviewer David Ignatius. “This doesn’t need nuclear weapons, missiles rockets or destroying people’s homes.”
Ahmadinejad replied to a request from Ignatius to clarify whether he believed in the eradication of the state of Israel, by saying “I asked you if the occupation in the Palestinian territories comes to an end what would there remain? Is there a Zionist regime in existence without occupation?”
He also said he does “not take very seriously” a threat of a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities by Israel. “Of course they would love to find a way for their own salvation by making a lot of noise and to raise stakes in order to save themselves,” he said.