Iran president sees "countdown" to Israel's end

[-Cp]

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Sunday the Lebanese and the Palestinians had pressed a "countdown button" to bring an end to Israel.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who triggered outrage in the West two years ago when he said Israel should be "wiped off the map", has often referred to the destruction of the Jewish state but says Iran is not a threat.

"With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine," Ahmadinejad said in a speech.

"By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future," he said. He did not elaborate.

Iran has described the war last summer between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel as a victory for the Iranian-backed group. Tehran also often praises the Palestinians for what it says is resistance against Israeli occupation.

Ahmadinejad was speaking ahead of Monday's anniversary of the death in 1989 of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, whose words Ahmadinejad echoed when he called for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

The president's comments caused consternation in Israel and the West, which also fear Iran is seeking to build an atomic arsenal under cover of a civilian nuclear power program, a charge Tehran denies.

Although Ahmadinejad has said Iran is not a threat to Israel, Iranian officials have said Tehran would respond swiftly to any Israeli attack. Some analysts have speculated Israel could seek to knock out Iran's atomic sites.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSBLA32653020070603?feedType=RSS&rpc=22

[Doniston]

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Sunday the Lebanese and the Palestinians had pressed a "countdown button" to bring an end to Israel.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who triggered outrage in the West two years ago when he said Israel should be "wiped off the map", has often referred to the destruction of the Jewish state but says Iran is not a threat.

"With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine," Ahmadinejad said in a speech.

"By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future," he said. He did not elaborate.

Iran has described the war last summer between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel as a victory for the Iranian-backed group. Tehran also often praises the Palestinians for what it says is resistance against Israeli occupation.

Ahmadinejad was speaking ahead of Monday's anniversary of the death in 1989 of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, whose words Ahmadinejad echoed when he called for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

The president's comments caused consternation in Israel and the West, which also fear Iran is seeking to build an atomic arsenal under cover of a civilian nuclear power program, a charge Tehran denies.

Although Ahmadinejad has said Iran is not a threat to Israel, Iranian officials have said Tehran would respond swiftly to any Israeli attack. Some analysts have speculated Israel could seek to knock out Iran's atomic sites.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSBLA32653020070603?feedType=RSS&rpc=22 Lessanyone get the wrong impression from the following. let me point out that The regime is differnt than the nation. I too would like to see the regime be destroyed, and I agree that this is likely to be the begining of the end of it.

The nation is an entirely different thing.

Considering the neccesity of agreement betweern the parties.I beleive that Israel should compress back to the original set forth borders, and that it become a multi-ethnical nation. (Between arab (Palastinian) and Jew.) The people (not the Government) have proven long ago that they can co-exist. But their governments won't let them.

[Kathianne]

Israel does allow citizenship for Palestinians. What you are proposing wouldn't work very well, for their goals are the antithesis of one another. I was just reading this, about the kidnapped BBC reporter:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/06/02/do0201.xml


Watching the horrible video of Alan Johnston of the BBC broadcasting Palestinian propaganda under orders from his kidnappers, I found myself asking what it would have been like had he been kidnapped by Israelis, and made to do the same thing the other way round.
advertisement
Click here to find out more!

The first point is that it would never happen. There are no Israeli organisations - governmental or freelance - that would contemplate such a thing. That fact is itself significant.

But just suppose that some fanatical Jews had grabbed Mr Johnston and forced him to spout their message, abusing his own country as he did so. What would the world have said?

There would have been none of the caution which has characterised the response of the BBC and of the Government since Mr Johnston was abducted on March 12. The Israeli government would immediately have been condemned for its readiness to harbour terrorists or its failure to track them down.

Loud would have been the denunciations of the extremist doctrines of Zionism which had given rise to this vile act. The world isolation of Israel, if it failed to get Mr Johnston freed, would have been complete.

If Mr Johnston had been forced to broadcast saying, for example, that Israel was entitled to all the territories held since the Six-Day War, and calling on the release of all Israeli soldiers held by Arab powers in return for his own release, his words would have been scorned. The cause of Israel in the world would have been irreparably damaged by thus torturing him on television. No one would have been shy of saying so.

But of course in real life it is Arabs holding Mr Johnston, and so everyone treads on tip-toe. Bridget Kendall of the BBC opined that Mr Johnston had been "asked" to say what he said in his video. Asked! If it were merely an "ask", why did he not say no?

Throughout Mr Johnston's captivity, the BBC has continually emphasised that he gave "a voice" to the Palestinian people, the implication being that he supported their cause, and should therefore be let out. One cannot imagine the equivalent being said if he had been held by Israelis.

Well, he is certainly giving a voice to the Palestinian people now. And the truth is that, although it is under horrible duress, what he says is not all that different from what the BBC says every day through the mouths of reporters who are not kidnapped and threatened, but are merely collecting their wages.

...

[Gaffer]

Lessanyone get the wrong impression from the following. let me point out that The regime is differnt than the nation. I too would like to see the regime be destroyed, and I agree that this is likely to be the begining of the end of it.

The nation is an entirely different thing.

Considering the neccesity of agreement betweern the parties.I beleive that Israel should compress back to the original set forth borders, and that it become a multi-ethnical nation. (Between arab (Palastinian) and Jew.) The people (not the Government) have proven long ago that they can co-exist. But their governments won't let them.

I presume by the "regime" you are referring to the Israeli government. It's not the Israeli government the arabs and iranians want to destroy it is all Israeli's. Every single one of them. No jew will be allowed to live.

Why should Israel grant pals the rights of citizens if they don't want to assimilate but want to destroy the country? Kinda like letting all mexicans vote in this country.

Israel offered in the past to pull back to pre 67 borders and it was refused. The pals want Israel eliminated period. You don't comprimize with muslims. You either give in or you fight.

[Doniston]

I presume by the "regime" you are referring to the Israeli government. It's not the Israeli government the arabs and iranians want to destroy it is all Israeli's. Every single one of them. No jew will be allowed to live.

Why should Israel grant pals the rights of citizens if they don't want to assimilate but want to destroy the country? Kinda like letting all mexicans vote in this country.

Israel offered in the past to pull back to pre 67 borders and it was refused. The pals want Israel eliminated period. You don't comprimize with muslims. You either give in or you fight.

1. Your are right that I am referring to the present government.
2. You are talking about twenty years ago. the retreric has eased up a great deal since that time, and the only ones still calling for the complete destruction of Israel are the die-hard hard liners, (and beleive it or not, their present president is NOT one of them. )

Kindly show us WHEN the Israelis offered to pull back to the previous borders (WITHOUT unacceptable conditions?) I just don't beleive it happened and I have been following this situation for the past 61 years.

[Gaffer]

1. Your are right that I am referring to the present government.
2. You are talking about twenty years ago. the retreric has eased up a great deal since that time, and the only ones still calling for the complete destruction of Israel are the die-hard hard liners, (and beleive it or not, their present president is NOT one of them. ) Kindly show us WHEN the Israelis offered to pull back to the previous borders (WITHOUT unacceptable conditions?) just don't berleive it happened and I have been following this situation for the past 61 years.

The last time Israel was willing to pull back was when they tried to make a deal with arafat. the little arab queer refused.

All Israel has ever got for their offers of land and peace is more rockets fired at them and suicide bombings. When they strike back they are condemned.

The pals have had 60 years to make something of themselves. They could be a vibrant nation right now. Instead they sit and stew over lost land and getting revenge. They creat nothing, they build nothing. They plot how to be martyrs and kill innocent people. It's not Israel holding them back, its themselves.

[Doniston]

The last time Israel was willing to pull back was when they tried to make a deal with arafat. the little arab queer refused.

All Israel has ever got for their offers of land and peace is more rockets fired at them and suicide bombings. When they strike back they are condemned.

The pals have had 60 years to make something of themselves. They could be a vibrant nation right now. Instead they sit and stew over lost land and getting revenge. They creat nothing, they build nothing. They plot how to be martyrs and kill innocent people. It's not Israel holding them back, its themselves. It is very difficult to build a life when the next door neigbor keeps destroying your effortds, and murdering your families. Check out the actual actions of the Zionite regime, and you will see what I mean.

[Dilloduck]

It is very difficult to build a life when the next door neigbor keeps destroying your effortds, and murdering your families. Check out the actual actions of the Zionite regime, and you will see what I mean.

And the Lebanese? How do they drive out terrorists from Palestinian refugee camps?

[Gaffer]

It is very difficult to build a life when the next door neigbor keeps destroying your effortds, and murdering your families. Check out the actual actions of the Zionite regime, and you will see what I mean.

It's difficult to build a life when your busy bringing in rockets and shooting them at your neighbor. All Israeli attacks are in response to terror attacks by the pals.

A Zionist is someone that wants to return to Israel and set it up as a country again. Therefore there are no Zionists in Israel. But there are plenty of anti-semites such as yourself.