sentences:  Comments made by Ahmadinejad, who has called the Holocaust “a myth” and for Israel to be “wiped off the map” were perceived by Israel as threat of destruction.A large population of Iranian Jews reside in Israel, among them former President of Israel Moshe Katsav, former Chief of Staff / Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, and former Chief of staff Dan Halutz.Following the American-British led invasion of Iraq in 2003, diplomats had been discussing the possibility of improved relations between Israel and Iraq.