Iran's Ahmadinejad Calls for the 'Annihilation' of Israel

In his Ramadan speech to ambassadors of Islamic countries, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seemingly called for the annihilation of Israel, saying "Anyone who loves freedom and justice must strive for the annihilation of the Zionist regime in order to pave the way for world justice and freedom."

The speech, published on the leader's website Thursday, was given ahead of "Qods Day" (Jerusalem Day), an annual Iranian anti-Zionist event initiated by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, the Jerusalem Post reports. Jerusalem Day falls on August 17 this year.

Ahmadinejad said it was the Zionists who were "behind the scene of the world's main powers, media, monetary and banking centers."

"They are the decision makers, to the extent that the presidential election hopefuls [of the USA] must go and kiss the feet of the Zionists to ensure their election victory,” he added, most likely referring to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's recent trip to Israel.

More from the Jerusalem Post:

Ahmadinejad added that "liberating Palestine" would solve all the world's problems, although he did not elaborate on exactly how that might work.

“Qods Day is not merely a strategic solution for the Palestinian problem, as it is to be viewed as a key for solving the world problems," he said.

He added: "Anyone who loves freedom and justice must strive for the annihilation of the Zionist regime in order to pave the way for world justice and freedom.”

The Iranian president also explained that Israel has encouraged "the dominance of arrogant powers in the region and across the globe" and that Arab countries like Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Syria and Turkey have been affected by Israel's "plots."

Calling for the eradication of Israel is not a first for Ahmadinejad. In a 2005 speech, the Iranian leader spoke about Israel using a Persian phrase that translates literally as "wiped off the page of time."

This is the same leader that said the Holocaust -- in which roughly 6 million European Jews were murdered -- is a lie.