Remarks on 'Zionists' taken out of context: Mursi

CAIRO: Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi said yesterday that comments on Israel attributed to him before he was elected, slammed as deeply offensive by the United States, were taken out of context.
“The president stressed they were taken from comments on the Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and stressed the need to put the remarks in the right context,” said a statement from the presidency issued after Mursi met US Senator John McCain.
According to a television clip released by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Mursi refers in a 2010 interview to “occupiers of Palestine” as “blood suckers and war mongers.”
“We must resist them with all forms of resistance. A military resistance in Palestine against these Zionist criminals assaulting the land of Palestine and Palestinians,” he said in the remarks to the TV channel three years ago.
In yesterday’s statement, Mursi “stressed his commitment to the principles he has always insisted on, including full respect for religions, freedom of faith and religious practices, especially the heavenly religions.”
Mursi also “stressed the need to differentiate between Judaism and its adherents from (those who practice) violent actions against Palestinians.”
He also “stressed the importance of building a strategic relationship between Egypt and the United States based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
On Tuesday, Washington condemned Mursi’s remarks and urged him to clarify his views.