"Iranian president denies Israeli handshake: Says incident at pope's funeral did not take place," from AP, with thanks to Skeetstreet:
TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami strongly denied shaking hands and chatting with Israeli President Moshe Katsav at Pope John Paul II's funeral, state-run media reported Saturday.Following the pope's funeral on Friday, Katsav said he shook hands and chatted briefly with Khatami and the leader of another archenemy of Israel, Bashar Assad of Syria. Syria on Friday confirmed the handshake between Assad and Katsav but played down its political significance.
But after returning to Iran, Khatami denied shaking Katsav's hand.
"These allegations are false like other allegations made by Israeli media and I have not had any meeting with any one from the Zionist regime," the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Khatami as
saying.
Allegations? Khatami feels as if he has been "accused" of shaking hands with the Israeli President? Somehow, we don't think this is a good omen, despite what the Israeli press had to say about the incident.
Khatami was cited as saying his country "morally and logically" does not recognize Israel but will not interfere in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Mr. Khatami, could you please explain exactly why you feel it is not moral or logical to recognize Israel? Of course, if you will entertain a question from a kafir najis at all.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, meanwhile, said he doubted the handshake could represent a diplomatic breakthrough.
Right again, Shalom.
Sadly I don't think this handshake meant much any more than Prince Charles' handshake with Mugabe.
It's just this sign of peace stuff. Was it Alan Bennet who wrote about some stuck up woman who objected to shaking hands with 'that common woman in the leopardskin coat'?
Hey, good job the Israeli president wasn't a woman or Khatami would really be for the high jump!
PS I really like my new found penultimate e.
Pictures! I want pictures!
kyber, you and I know that some camera somewhere caught that handshake on film. Time to hold the Iranian's feet to the fire.
"I shook hands with the Infidel Israeli President! Shit, I think I'm gonna have to chop off my own hand now. It's become contaminated by touching an Infidel." /sarcasm
Why was this Iranian maniac even allowed to attend the Pope's funeral when all he wishes for is to gain a nuclear bomb to wave at the infidels for the glory of the stolen Yaweh (renamed Allah), and would like nothing better than to see the utter extirpation of the Catholic faith, its corrupt 'false prophet' Pope, and all of its 'deceiving' members who will not bow in submission to the 'final prophet', the 'perfect man' (and purulent pedophile) Mohammad?
Were the Iranians really in Italy just to try to kidnap some attractive European white slaves for their Koranically-approved underground harems? (Third tunnel off to the left on the way to the heavy water storage bunker.)
I trust them as far as I can blow hummus through my nostrils.
I wouldn't shake a Muslim's hand anyway. But then I'm not politically correct. Why would Israel's President want to shake hands with Chatami? Would you shake the hand of your executioner?
disllusionised_german
Exactly.
I would be more prone to suggest a DUEL than shake ANY PART of one of these murdering s.o.b.'s. They hang teen-aged girls who argue with them. Loathesome examples of protoplasm.
My weapon of choice in a duel with such scum:
Popping champagne cork's -at ten paces.
First one to be able to open and score a hit wins.
(Since they are forbidden from knowledge of such alcoholic appurtenances, they shouldn't even know HOW to uncork the bottle... and if they DID, it would expose their hypocrisy... and either way, I'd make my point.)
I'll drink a glass of red wine to that, my friend :-)
Which hand do Muslims use to wipe their bum, left or right?
(I use paper, but there you go.)
As a Canadian and a Jew who supports the existence of Israel, I want to know what purpose -- other than to promote a little sh!t storm -- Katsav would have in shaking the hand of a very senior rep of the government that murdered Zara Khazemi and funds Hezbullah
I see in a post picked up by FrontPageMag.com's Warblog that Katsav is an Iranian Jew from the same district that Khatami hails from and greeted him in their native Farsi dialect, so it appears that Katsav was up to mischief and the gormless Khatami has a lot of 'splainin' to do back home.