QAZVIN French Muslim scholar Roger Garaudy said here on Monday that Israel is not the colony of the U.S. rather that's U.S. which is the colony of Israel because many key posts in the U.S. are held by Zionists. Garaudy, who made the remark here at a one-day seminar to review the trend of Palestine's occupation' at the Imam Khomeini International Univeristy on Monday, said the U.S. secretaries of state, defence and labor as well as several senior CIA officials are all Zionists and it is Israel that controls U.S. policies.

He said that boycutting U.S. made goods by Muslim countries would push that country towards banktrupcy. Contrary to (American President Bill) Clinton's claims, the U.S. economy is very weak and there are 33 million Americans living under poverty line. He said that Muslims consider Judaism as a divine religion but are against Zionism because Zionists are destroying Judaism. The issue of Palestine does not concern Muslims alone but rather all freedom lovers throughout the world are concerned about it, said Garaudy. Annihilation of Israel is not an inaccessible goal, concluded Garaudy. (IRNA)