WASHINGTON, Nov 1: US President George W. Bush’s national security adviser warned on Monday that a hasty US withdrawal from Iraq would embolden extremists who seek ‘the eventual destruction of Israel’.

In remarks prepared for delivery to the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) summit, Stephen Hadley said building democracy in Iraq would help Israel.

“If freedom prevails in Iraq, others in the region — including Syria and Iran — will be under greater pressure to open up their repressive political systems. And that is good news for Israel,” said Hadley.

“For Israel should not be condemned, in the name of stability, to live in a region where despots threaten to ‘wipe them off the map,’” he said.

“The spread of democracy will make the Middle East a safer neighbourhood for Israel. An American retreat from Iraq, on the other hand, would only strengthen the terrorists who seek the enslavement of Iraq and the eventual destruction of Israel,” said Hadley.—AFP