Falk admires Imam's personality

The late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini was one of the strongest human presences that I have ever experienced, former UN rapporteur in Palestinian human rights, Richard Falk told the Qods News Agency (Qodsna).

“The dark sparkle of his eyes and the sharp focus of his mind were particularly vivid and memorable for me,” he said, recounting his meeting with Imam Khomeini in January 1979.

The American personality said in the meeting, Imam Khomeini was very clear that Jews were welcome in the Islamic Republic of Iran provided that they did not have an involvement with Israel as had been the case during the rule of the Shah for some leading members of the Jewish community.

"Judaism is an authentic religion," Falk quoted the Imam as saying, adding the Imam favored a just solution of the status of Palestine by by which to end the Zionist insistence on 'a Jewish state' but not necessarily the end of a Jewish residence.

Asked about the US position in the case of the ISIL terror group, the American personality said there is no doubt that the US occupation policies in Iraq created some of the conditions that led to the emergence of the terror group.