United Nations HQ in New York. Photo: wiki commons.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters at the United Nations that while his country “has been around for the last seven, ten thousand years,” Israel has been “occupying” territory in the Middle East for 60-70 years and has “no roots there in history.”

Ahmadinejad, whose larger speech to the entire UN General Assembly is scheduled for Yom Kippur on Wednesday, addressed a smaller UN assembly on the rule of law Monday.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor left the room to protest the Iranian president’s remarks.

“Ahmadinejad showed again that he not only threatens the future of the Jewish people, he seeks to erase our past,” Prosor told reporters. “To allow Ahmadinejad to speak at the UN about the rule of law is like appointing a pyromaniac to be a fire chief.”

On the topic of a possible Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, Ahmadinejad said, “Fundamentally, we do not take seriously the threats of the Zionists. We have all the defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves.”

Additionally, in an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN Monday night, Ahmadinejad explained his infamous comments regarding “wiping” Israel off the map.

“So when we say ‘to be wiped,’ we say for occupation to be wiped off from this world,” he said through a translator. “For war-seeking to [be] wiped off and eradicated, the killing of women and children to be eradicated. And we propose the way. We propose the path. The path is to recognize the right of the Palestinians to self-governance.”

When pressed by Morgan about a two-state solution, Ahmadinejad declined to comment.