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Iran demonstrators denounce Israel, Khatami allies

TEHRAN: Tens of thousands marched in the Iranian capital on Friday to support Palestinians against Israel, and hardliners also used the event to attack their reformist rivals allied with President Mohammad Khatami.

The crowd gathered in front of Tehran University and later attended Friday prayers there performed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who reiterated calls for Israel's annihilation and branded Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a "traitor and a stupid man" for negotiating peace with the Jewish state.

"There is only one way to resolve the Palestinian problem, and that is through the dissolution and decline of the Zionist regime," Khamenei said. "The peace talks are one of the biggest cheats, the ugliest ploys used by Israel and its main supporter, America."

President Khatami made a brief appearance at the rally and took a short walk with the crowd to express his support. But he was absent as leading officials, mainly rightwingers, attended the prayers.

His reformist government has taken a relatively softer stand on the Middle East peace process, pledging that Iran would not seek to undermine the talks and supporting diplomatic efforts by its ally Syria to regain the Golan Heights from Israel.

"The Palestinian issue is one of this century's greatest shames," Khamenei said in a sermon before the weekly mass prayers. "Because a nation was kicked out of its home by a racist movement."

The demonstrations, also held in other parts of Iran, were to mark the "Qods (Jerusalem) Day," which the Islamic republic annually observes on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan.

Hardline conservative groups were mainly behind the rally in Tehran, where demonstrators burned U.S. and Israeli flags and carried banners in denunciation of the two allies.

"Those who are doing this in the name of Palestinians are committing the biggest treason. This man (Arafat), I have said, is both a traitor and a stupid man."

Iran's radio and television, controlled by conservatives, had been whipping up sentiments against Israel for a week to encourage a greater turnout at the demonstrations.

Conservative leader and speaker of parliament, Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri, used the rally to launch a scathing attack against liberal reformers, some of whom have demanded a rethink of the hostile policies toward Israel and the United States.

The two factions are locked in bitter rivalry ahead of crucial parliamentary elections on February 18 which could shape the future of Khatami's reforms.

"Some people say we can not be holier than the Pope when the Palestinians themselves are reaching a settlement with Israel. I can't believe this is being said in an Islamic country," he said.

"The threat coming from nationalists and liberals is serious. We must be aware. They are weakening the beliefs and convictions of our people," he added.

Khatami's allies hope to use his enduring popularity to break the conservative grip on the assembly and give a boost to his reforms. The conservatives have put up strong resistance, seeking to tie their victory to the survival of Islamic rule in Iran.-Reuters