Israeli official calls meeting between Swiss and Iranian leaders 'pathetic'

Occupied Jerusalem: Israel's deputy foreign minister said a planned meeting between Switzerland's president and his Iranian counterpart is "pathetic."

Hans-Rudolf Merz is to meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday ahead of a UN conference on racism in Geneva.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said the meeting "caught us by surprise."

He told Army Radio that Merz's meeting "hurts him and Switzerland more than anything else."

Ahmadinejad has suggested the Holocaust never happened and called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat.

Swiss government officials had no immediate comment. The United States and Israel are boycotting the racism conference.