A leading Iraqi official described Jews as the sons of monkeys and pigs today and called at an international conference of 350 Islamic clerics for the destruction of Israel.
Mr Izzat Ibrahim, vice-chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council representing President Saddam Hussein, said: "We demand from the Islamic and Arab nation to rise quickly to expel the sons of monkeys and pigs, strangers on the land."
Iraq's official press regularly portrays Muslims and Arabs as morally superior to Jews, calling for war to regain Israeli-occupied land and portraying Baghdad as the standard bearer of Arab honour in the struggle with Israel.
The conference secretary-general, Abdelrazzaq al-Saadi, told reporters the Iraqi government-sponsored conference would urge Arab countries to open their borders for volunteers who want to fight Israel.
The conference has drawn clerics from such regions as Chechnya, Africa and the Far East to discuss support for a Palestinian uprising against Israel's 34-year-old occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Iraq has given financial aid to victims of the Palestinian revolt, raising its standing among the Arab population of Gaza and the West Bank. The government says seven million Iraqi citizens have volunteered for an army it formed to liberate Jerusalem.
Iraqi television regularly shows lightly armed soldiers training for what it calls the Jerusalem Army. But to reach enemy territory they would have to cross Jordan, which is at peace with Israel, or Syria, which for years has not engaged in direct military confrontation with Israel.
Last week Saddam ordered mass demonstrations in support of the Palestinian revolt. Tens of thousands of Iraqis took to the streets.
The Palestinians and Israel blame each other for the bloodshed that began nearly 11 months ago.