Global March to Jerusalem’s ‘Asian Caravan’ visits Tehran
Representatives from 15 states met Iranian officials on their trek from New Delhi to the Israeli border
Ilan Ben Zion is an AFP reporter and a former news editor at The Times of Israel.
Pro-Palestinian organization Global March to Jerusalem‘s arrival in Tehran on Saturday was a lightning rod for anti-Israel statements by senior Iranian officials who greeted them.
The group’s Asian wing, the Asian Caravan group, comprised of 120 representatives from 15 Asian states from Indonesia to Azerbaijan, met President Ahmadinejad and chief foreign affairs adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader in International Affairs, Ali Akbar Velayati.
Ahmadinejad called Israel a “malignant, cancerous growth,” and said that occupation of any part of Palestine by Israel is illegal. He further exhorted that “[Israel] will be destroyed and we must prepare for the great day in which arrogance will be wiped from the face of the earth.”
Valayati accused the US and Israel of state-sponsored terrorism — an accusation frequently leveled at Iran. “The Zionist regime and US officials have always declared officially that they would use terror to eliminate their opposition around the world,” IRNA quoted him saying.
The Global March to Jerusalem is orchastrating a peaceful, international march towards Jerusalem in protest of “the Apartheid, ethnic cleansing and Judaisation policies affecting the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem.” The group aims to reach Israel by March 30, in time to take part in the annual Land Day protests.
The Times of Israel Community.