(Haaretz).President Shimon Peres on Monday denounced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, likening him to World War II-era dictators for his strong rhetoric against Israel.
"It is hard to fathom why despots such as Hitler the Nazi, Stalin the Bolshevik and Ahmadinejad the Persian chose the Jews as the main target for their hatred, their madness and their violence," Peres said in a speech comemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day.
"Perhaps they targeted the Jewish people because of its spiritual power - a nation poor in material possessions, but rich in values - for he who is infected with megalomania fears the power of the spirit."
"The Jews did not worship idols or authority, and their God gave mankind its conscience," the president said. "We were the first to believe that every person is created in God's image, and we were commanded to sanctify life and prevent murder and discrimination.
