In a seeming attempt to further accentuate tensions between his country, the West, and Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened Israel again — this time putting his rhetoric a few notches above his previous red-hot, inflammatory statements:
The president of Iran again lashed out at Israel on Friday and said it was “heading toward annihilation,” just days after Tehran raised fears about its nuclear activities by saying it successfully enriched uranium for the first time.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel a “permanent threat” to the Middle East that will “soon” be liberated. He also appeared to again question whether the Holocaust really happened.
“Like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation,” Ahmadinejad said at the opening of a conference in support of the Palestinians. “The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm.”
If that statement makes people think about a nuclear weapon, could it be mere coincidence? MORE:
Ahmadinejad provoked a world outcry in October when he said Israel should be “wiped off the map.”
On Friday, he repeated his previous line on the Holocaust, saying: “If such a disaster is true, why should the people of this region pay the price? Why does the Palestinian nation have to be suppressed and have its land occupied?”
So Ahmadinejad has dropped any pretense now: he is seeking to be leader not only of countries that want to see Israel wiped off the face of the earth, but of Holocaust-doubting anti-Semites everywhere. And lest you have any doubt:
The land of Palestine, he said, referring to the British mandated territory that includes all of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, “will be freed soon.”
He did not say how this would be achieved, but insisted to the audience of at least 900 people: “Believe that Palestine will be freed soon.”
“The existence of this (Israeli) regime is a permanent threat” to the Middle East, he added. “Its existence has harmed the dignity of Islamic nations.”
In the old days they called this game “throwing down the gauntlet.” He’s indulging in a game of chicken with the United States and, despite reports about Washington considering war with Iran and using tactical nukes, it’s clear he is not afraid of it ending with Iran being fried chicken. The question is: Why? Is he really trying to provoke a war?
Next step: Washington and the West?
Or will the next step come from Israel, which has made it clear it’s not going to be a sitting duck. The famous phrase “Never Again” is serious one…and Ahmadinejad’s unrepentant and provocative rhetoric does seem a bit reminiscent of a former German leader with a mustache who seemed like a very unhumorous Charlie Chaplin….
THAT’S JUST OUR VIEW. HERE ARE SOME OTHERS:
Ahmadinejad is making it easy to justify an attack on Iran. His anti-Israeli rhetoric and his announcement that they’d just enriched uranium make the issue of intelligence reports of minor importance. It’s the threats that will be used to justify airstrikes against Iran.
–Stephen Green, aka Vodka Pundit: “Usually when you read that some Islamic leader has made a threat against Israel, the proper response is, “You and what army?” Only these days, Iran is close to having nukes. And leadership in Tehran nowhere close to sanity. We see where we get by letting try to talk to Iran, all warm and fuzzy and multilaterally. Now what?”
—Jay Currie: “No doubt this can be dismissed as posturing and just the sorrt of thing which Iranian Presidents are expected to say at conferences on Palestine. But if you really want to give people a good reason to start dusting off contingency plans this is exactly the rhetoric which will do it. Certainly if I was an Israeli politician or general or intelligence chap I would have no choice but to take these statements very seriously indeed.”
—Tom Bevan: “It is not a stretch in the slightest to say that Ahmadinejad is the greatest threat the world has seen since Hitler. Debates about his mental stability or whether he may or may not be purely full of bluster are somewhat beside the point: the world has no choice but to take his threats at face value.”
—Unalienable Rights: “Jim Croce has some very useful, prudent advice to help one get through life. He sings, “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger and you don’t mess around with Jim…â€?
Keep in mind this idiot wants some sort of final conflict in the context of his radical religious beliefs. But that conflict without Israel invovled would be far from the same thing. I imagine he is going to continue to bait Israel in hopes of a response.
For their part, Israel once waited it out as scud missles fell about their country. With Iran having anyhting close to a nuclear capability – and a lack of surety where the program really stands, I doubt Israel will choose to be that patient this time out.
—Bogey780: “Anyone who thinks Iran isn’t making a nuke for the sole purpose of wiping Israel off the map is deluding themselves. I await the excuses for why it’s okay for Iran to kill a few million jews. Their nuclear arsenal they are trying to build is not for any sort of deterrence. It’s solely for offensive genocidal usage. If they successfully get a bomb millions will eventually die because of it. How about a little bit of that distrust of Bush get thrown over to a foreign leader for once.”
—Gina Cobb: “Attention Civilized World! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Do not hit the snooze alarm! Your attempt to eliminate the threat from Iran through diplomacy has FAILED. You do not have five years left to eliminate the threat from Iran! Repeat: You do NOT have five years left. You’ll be lucky if you have five months! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”
—The Angry Federalist: “The question that must obviously loom on the minds of anyone in the region, is what is to stop Israel from neutralizing the Iranian threat? It seems at this time that such a policy is distinctly in Israel’s natural interest if any of the claims from Iran can be substantiated.”
—Secular Blasphemy: “It sounds like he’s talking about his own regime…”
—Random Numbers: “Anyone who still believes Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes or that Ahmadinejad won’t use nukes if he’s allowed to obtain them is either very stupid or insane. Anyone who believes that more diplomacy will work with this madman isn’t living in the real world. If he can be stopped without using nukes of our own that’s fine, otherwise, whatever it takes to keep him from using nukes on us.”
—Polimom tries to figure out what could be behind this provocative talk in a post that needs to be read in full. A small taste 4 U:
Rather than the annihilation of Israel, Iran may be hoping to negotiate for a voluntary dismanteling of Israel altogether, with the accompanying return of the entire disputed area to the Palestinians. Polimom’s not proposing that such an outcome is likely, or even desirable, but I can see Iran trying for it. What would the world’s reaction to such a proposition be, do you think?
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.