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NEWS
Jewish Organizations Protest Iranian President's Visit to
UN General Assembly
By Arnon Yaffeh, Paris
Upon arriving in New York for his annual visit to address the
United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad was greeted by thousands of Jewish and Iranian
protesters and an undelivered speech by the Republican
Party's vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, describing
him as a world threat.
Jewish demonstrators gathered even before the Iranian
President's arrival on Tuesday. On Wednesday Iranian
protesters tried to approach the UN Building with pictures of
children who have been hanged by his regime. Despite the
tumult outside, Ahmadinejad enjoyed the support of the
automatic majority of UN representatives from Arab and
African countries who came to the UN General Assembly to
oppose Russia and China's support of Western proposals
regarding respect for human rights.
Before her arrival, Mrs. Palin released a copy of the speech
she had been scheduled to deliver to a gathering of Jewish
organizations. "Tomorrow, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will come to
New York — to the heart of what he calls the Great
Satan — and speak freely in this, a country whose
demise he has called for... We gather here today to highlight
the Iranian dictator's intentions and to call for action to
thwart him," reads the text of the speech she prepared. "The
world must awaken to the threat this man poses to all of us.
Ahmadinejad denies that the Holocaust ever took place. He
dreams of being an agent in a `Final Solution' — the
elimination of the Jewish people. [His remarks] cannot be
dismissed as the ravings of a madman — not when Iran
just this summer tested long-range Shahab-3 missiles capable
of striking Tel Aviv, not when the Iranian nuclear program is
nearing completion and not when Iran sponsors terrorists that
threaten and kill innocent people around the world."
The speech was written for the inexperienced VP candidate by
McCain's campaign strategists and adapted to fit her style
and approach. She said the US must reduce its dependence on
Middle East oil, tighten sanctions and hold Ahmadinejad
accountable for incitement to commit genocide.
In the end the organizers decided not to allow her to speak,
fearing that her appearance would set a political tone for
the gathering that they wanted to avoid.
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