“Israel should be moved to Europe”, Iran’s president says

The remarks by Iranian President that Israel should be moved to Europe has caused a storm of protest from across the world, with the Jewish country saying the comments defied international law which recognises its right to exist and amounted to a denial of Holocaust. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks yesterday that Israel should be moved to Europe so that the West can make amends for the Holocaust, the persecution of Jews by Hitler's Nazi Germany, also led Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom to call for referel of Tehran's nuclear issue to UN Security Council.

Shalom said the comments reflect a "clear denial" of Holocaust and defies international law recognising Israel's right to exist. International community should spare no effort to "prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons", he said adding "Europe and Russia have to join the United States in endorsing Iran's referral to the Security Council".

Under the leadership of Ahmadinejad, Iran will seek all means to destroy the State of Israel, he claimed.

In an interview to Iran's Arabic channel 'Al-Alam', Ahmadinejad said that if Germany and Austria feel responsible for massacring Jews during World War II, they should host a state of Israel on their own soil.

Describing the remarks as "clearly appalling and reprehensible," US State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said, "They certainly don't inspire hope among any of us in the international community that the government of Iran is prepared to engage as a responsible member of that community."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said it just underscored "our concerns" about Iran regime and "it's all the more reason why it's so important that the regime not have the ability to develop nuclear weapons," reports the Xinhua. I.L.