GEORGE Bush told Palestinian leaders that God had instructed him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new BBC television series.

The revelation will be seized on by his detractors - at home and abroad - who fear that the president of the United States is waging a religious war in emulation of the Crusades.

His remarks are also bound to cause embarrassment for Tony Blair, his chief partner in the war on terror, who has sought to play down the religious tensions underscoring operations in the Middle East.

Mr Bush's remarks were made at a meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, and his then foreign minister in June 2003.

Nabil Shaath, now the Palestinian information minister, revealed details of the conversation to the BBC3 programme Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs. "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq ...' And I did."

The US leader had also said he felt "God's words coming to me" to "go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East. And, by God, I'm gonna do it." Mr Abbas, who was also at the meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, recounted Mr Bush saying: "I have a moral and religious obligation. So I will get you a Palestinian state."

During a speech to the National Endowment for Democracy yesterday, Mr Bush lashed out at Islamists, accusing militants of trying to "rally the Muslim masses" by trying to control Iraq to establish "a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia".

The president has been under pressure to defend his Iraq policy after declining public support. Fears over the invasion could be further heightened by escalation of violence in the run-up to the 15 October referendum on a new constitution for Iraq.

Mr Bush also likened the ideology of Islamic militants to communism, accusing elements of the Arab news media of inciting antisemitism. "We are facing a radical ideology with immeasurable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," he said.

The US would not relent until the terror networks were broken, the president said. He was backed by his vice-president, Dick Cheney, who warned that the US would be committed to the war on terror for decades.

The revelation comes at a sensitive time as Iraqis prepare to go to the polls. Mr Blair yesterday met Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi prime minister, to discuss the security crisis. The Prime Minister confirmed remarks by an unnamed official that the government believed Iran was behind arming the insurgents attacking British troops.

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