Haaretz
Shvat 5, 5766
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - U.S. President
George W. Bush vowed that the United States will rise to Israel's defense
if needed against Iran, and denounced Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad for "menacing talk" against Israel.
"I am concerned
about a person that, one, tries to rewrite the history of the Holocaust,
and two, has made it clear that his intentions are to destroy Israel,"
Bush said, in a Reuters interview aboard Air Force One en route to
Nashville.
"Israel is a solid ally of the U.S., we will rise to
Israel's defense if need be. So this kind of menacing talk is disturbing.
It's not only disturbing to the United States, it's disturbing for other
countries in the world as well," he added.
Asked if he meant the
United States would rise to Israel's defense militarily, Bush said: "You
bet, we'll defend Israel."
Ahmadinejad has prompted international
condemnation for anti-Israel rhetoric in recent weeks, including saying it
should be wiped off the map, and calling into question the Holocaust.
Bush also said he saw a "very good chance" that the governing
board of the International Atomic Energy Agency will refer Iran to the UN
Security Council for possible sanctions.
During the interview,
Bush also commented on Hamas recent electoral victory in the Palestinian
election, saying it must change its platform, its attitude toward Israel
and get rid of its armed group for the United States to support a
Palestinian government run by Hamas. "In order for the United States to
support a Palestinian government run by Hamas, Hamas must change its party
platform and change its way of thinking and get rid of this armed group,
as well as change its attitude toward Israel," Bush said.
Hamas
remained defiant despite mounting world pressure a week after its win in
Palestinian elections.
Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas's
parliamentary slate, rejected Bush's latest call for the group to disarm,
and condemned Israel's suspension of monthly tax payments to the
cash-strapped PA.