Iran Leader: Israel Doomed To "Collapse"
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday the U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference was a "failure" and that Israel is doomed to "collapse," lashing out at the Annapolis meeting that is widely seen as isolating Iran.
The comments were the first time in months that the hard-line Ahmadinejad has used such strong anti-Israeli rhetoric, highlighting Tehran's bitterness toward the conference, which its closest Arab ally Syria attended.
"It is impossible that the Zionist regime will survive. Collapse is in the nature of this regime because it has been created on aggression, lying, oppression and crime," Ahmadinejad said after a Cabinet meeting, according to state-run television.
Ahmadinejad has raised controversy in the West with past predictions of Israel's eventual destruction, including a comment saying it should be "wiped off" or "disappear" from the map - and even critics at home said his inflammatory speeches were needlessly provoking the West against Iran.
"Soon, even the most politically doltish individuals will understand that this conference was a failure from the beginning," he said in comments reported by the official IRNA news agency.
Iran has repeatedly condemned the conference, saying it would fail to bring any peace for the Palestinians and warning that it will discredit Arab countries who participated.
CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante reports Iran's absence was "the elephant in the room" at the Maryland summit.
He says that for many of the Arab nations that did attend, that may have been the point of the conference - challenging Iran.
One analyst, Michael Oren of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, told CBS News' Early Show that the meeting "was probably, in its most profound sense, a message to Iran that a new era has begun in the Middle East," and the isolated regime is not playing a part.
There is increasing unease in predominantly Sunni Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where many leaders are allies of the U.S., that Iran is seeking to push forward a hard-line Shiite stance on foreign policy in the region.
On Tuesday, Tehran expressed surprise that Damascus participated in the gathering, although it has stopped short of directly criticizing its ally.
Ahmadinejad said the Palestinian "resistance" - such as Hamas, which is backed by Tehran - must have a say in any settlement.
"Many such meetings have been held but have failed," he said. "If decision is made about Palestine, representatives of the elected Palestinian government and resistance should be there and the rights of the Palestinian people - self-determination, the right of voting and return of refugees - must be recognized," he said.
In the Palestinian territories, police loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday fired shots in the air and beat protesters with sticks during the funeral of a man killed during a protest against this week's U.S.-hosted summit. At least 26 people were wounded, one critically, medics said.
It was the second straight day of violence stemming from the conference.
Some 5,000 people participated in Wednesday's funeral procession for Hisham Baradei, 36, who was shot in the chest Tuesday during a demonstration against the conference.
The procession turned violent when marchers refused to stick to a pre-arranged route that had been cleared with police. The forces began firing live ammunition over the heads of the procession. Protesters hurled rocks at police, who pitched the rocks back and beat people with clubs.
Abbas' government announced a ban on public demonstrations over the weekend ahead of the Annapolis summit. The pro-Western president leads an emergency government based in the West Bank. He set up the government after the Islamic militant Hamas group violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.
In Gaza, meanwhile, Palestinian militants fired five mortar shells toward the Israeli border, the Israeli army said. There were no injuries.
Israel holds Gaza's Hamas rulers responsible for violence in the area, and Hamas' continued control of Gaza has raised further questions about carrying out any future peace agreement.
In Tuesday's unrest, Palestinian police violently dispersed a series of protests throughout the West Bank using clubs, tear gas and live fire. In addition to the Hebron fatality, four people in other towns were critically wounded and dozens were arrested.
The Liberation Party, a tiny, unarmed Islamic group, organized Tuesday's protests. But Hamas activists joined the funeral procession on Wednesday, waving the movement's green flag and hurling rocks at police.
The protest ban and heavy-handed tactics used by Abbas' police could threaten to undermine him as he tries to rally support for peace making with Israel. Human rights groups have accused him of suppressing dissent.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the violent reaction to the funeral procession "illustrates the extent of the conspiracy in Annapolis" and shows "killing and repression at the hands of Palestinian security because they hang on to their rights."
Despite the comments, Hamas has shown little tolerance for dissent in Gaza. Earlier this month, Hamas forces killed eight people at a mass rally organized by Abbas' Fatah movement.
Abbas' government has tried to crush Hamas in the West Bank since the Gaza takeover. Palestinian officials had said this week's protest ban was needed to prevent Hamas from wreaking havoc in the West Bank. Officials did not return messages seeking comment on the Hebron shootings.