According to the Associated Press, Iran’s President Ahmadinejad has returned to his “wipe Israel off the map” theme. They report him saying that the current hostilities showed Israel’s continued existence in the region is “not feasible.”
That’s right, according to Ahmadinejad, Israel’s continued existence is “not feasible”
He added:
“[E]ven for the supporters of the occupying regime and its leaders, it has become clear that the continuation of the Zionist regime’s life in the region is not feasible.”
When he uttered his “wipe Israel off the map” remarks in 2006, his apologists bent over backwards to ‘contextualise’ his remarks and to claim he had been misquoted or mistranslated. This despite the fact that the expression was contained in teh official translation on his own website, as Ethan Bronner explained in the New York Times.
Of course, the controversy is still raging, but I think this new outburst rather confirms the view of those who took Ahmadinejad at his word the first time round.
Then in September last year, he said:
I would like to declare that the idea of “smaller Israel” is also dead. The very notion of Israel is dead, but they are lagging behind the times. Just like the idea of Greater Israel died 30 years ago, and they did not realize this, and have continued to perpetrate crimes for 30 years… Today, I say to them: The idea of smaller Israel is dead.
There was less controversy about this, but I think this new outburst rather confirms the view of those who took Ahmadinejad at his word the second time round. And the first time around.
And here we are today, according to the President of Iran, chief backers of Hamas: Israel’s continued existence in the region is “not feasible.” Will it be thrice denied?
Israel is fighting to stay on the map.