Swiss lawmaker dropped over Israel remark

A local deputy from Switzerland's populist Geneva Citizens' Movement (MCG) was excluded from the regional party on Friday for appearing to support the destruction of Israel. Denis Menoud wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday that following Iran's historic nuclear deal with the West, "the key thing is that Israel is on the path to being incinerated." His words caused an immediate outcry, with the Swiss Jewish rights group CICAD demanding the party "make a stand regarding this type of despicable remark." Menoud, who later deleted the post from the page, told the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve his remarks had been taken out of context. "The point was the agreement with Iran... Israel is the loser, strategically and politically, from this plan. Anything else is a toxic and abusive interpretation," he said. The MCG is increasingly prolific in the Geneva canton, having won 20 of the 100 seats in the regional parliament in September on a platform of border security. Menoud refused to resign at his party's request, but party president Roger Gelay said Friday the lawmaker was "no longer considered a member." Menoud is renowned for his verbal gaffes, including previous off-color remarks about homosexuals and naturalized immigrants.