"They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God."
Ahmadinejad's Dec. 14, 2005 remark, broadcast on state television, branded him a Holocaust denier in the eyes of many and provoked outrage around the world. Israel's foreign ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said he hoped such extremist comments would encourage the world to "abandon any illusions about this regime." The following year, when asked by CBS' Chris Wallace about it, Ahmadinejad appeared to soften his stance, saying: "Well, if an atrocity was committed in Germany or Europe, for that matter, why should the Palestinians answer for this?"