[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24138-24139]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       CONDEMNING ANTI-ISRAEL SENTIMENTS OF THE PRESIDENT OF IRAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 292 which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.

[[Page 24139]]

  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 292) calling on the President to 
     condemn the anti-Israel sentiments expressed by the President 
     of Iran on October 26, 2005.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, yesterday, Iranian President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad, citing the words of the founder of Iran's Islamic 
revolution, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, said ``Israel must be 
wiped off the map.''
  He then went on to call Israel a ``disgraceful blot.''
  He rejected the two-state solution to the Middle East crisis as a 
defeat for the Islamic world, adding that the ``roadmap'' would be 
short-lived. He said ``If we put it behind us successfully, God 
willing, it will pave the way for the destruction and the downfall of 
the Zionist regime.''
  The Iranian President also criticized his neighbors by warning 
``Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic 
nations' fury.''
  He made these despicable comments to 4,000 students attending a 
``World without Zionism'' conference.
  This was just hours before a Palestinian suicide bomber from Islamic 
Jihad blew himself up in the small Israeli town of Hadera, killing 5 
people and wounding more than 30.
  It's important to note that Islamic Jihad's murderers are supported 
and trained by Iran.
  Given the seriousness of President Ahmadinejad's hateful comments, I 
am submitting a resolution with Senator Smith asking that this body 
repudiate them.
  The resolution also calls on President Bush, on behalf of the United 
States, to condemn the remarks in the strongest terms possible.
  This kind of incendiary rhetoric is what we have come to expect from 
Iran.
  The Iranian President has been quite open about his views on Israel. 
He has been clear and consistent, echoing Iranian leader Ayatollah 
Khomeini, who called frequently for the destruction of Israel through 
the 1980s.
  The words and ideas of the President of Iran are offensive to 
civilized people around the world. We will not tolerate anti-Israel or 
anti- Semitic rhetoric.
  The Iranian President has spoken words that are certain to incite 
violence against the state of Israel. Too often, that translates into 
violence against Jews worldwide.
  But what makes the comments especially chilling is the fact that 
Iranian officials announced earlier this year that they had completed 
development of solid fuel technology for missiles, a huge breakthrough 
that increases missile accuracy.
  Iran has the Shahab-3 missile, which has a range of 810 miles to more 
than 1,200 miles. Jerusalem is 970 miles from Tehran.
  The Shahab-3 is capable of deliverinq a nuclear warhead to Israel and 
to U.S. forces in the Middle East.
  So when the Iranian President threatens to ``wipe Israel off the 
map,'' we can't afford to take such a threat lightly. We have to take 
note of it and repudiate it.
  I urge the Senate to adopt this resolution and go on record 
condemning the hateful words of the Iranian President. And I hope that 
President Bush himself will speak to this issue. It's that important.
  I want to thank Senator Smith for co-sponsoring this resolution with 
me. I urge its adoption.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
the measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 292) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 292

       Whereas, on October 26, 2005, the President of Iran, 
     Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that Israel must be ``wiped off the 
     map'' and that ``[a]nybody who recognizes Israel will burn in 
     the fire of the Islamic nations' fury'';
       Whereas the Department of State has designated Iran as a 
     state sponsor of terrorism that has repeatedly provided 
     support for acts of international terror;
       Whereas the Government of Iran sponsors terrorist 
     organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the 
     al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and PFLP-GC by providing funding, 
     training, weapons, and safe haven to such organizations; and
       Whereas the outrageous statements of Mr. Ahmadinejad are 
     not in accord with the expressions of the Palestinian 
     leadership in the peace process: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) thoroughly repudiates the anti-Israel sentiments 
     expressed by the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on 
     October 26, 2005; and
       (2) calls on the President, on behalf of the United States, 
     to thoroughly repudiate, in the strongest terms possible, the 
     statement by Mr. Ahmadinejad.

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