What do you make of this

[Kärnfysikern]

http://www.counterpunch.com/tilley08282006.html

In this frightening mess in the Middle East, let's get one thing straight. Iran is not threatening Israel with destruction. Iran's president has not threatened any action against Israel. Over and over, we hear that Iran is clearly "committed to annihilating Israel" because the "mad" or "reckless" or "hard-line" President Ahmadinejad has repeatedly threatened to destroy Israel But every supposed quote, every supposed instance of his doing so, is wrong.

The most infamous quote, "Israel must be wiped off the map", is the most glaringly wrong. In his October 2005 speech, Mr. Ahmadinejad never used the word "map" or the term "wiped off". According to Farsi-language experts like Juan Cole and even right-wing services like MEMRI, what he actually said was "this regime that is occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time."

What did he mean? In this speech to an annual anti-Zionist conference, Mr. Ahmadinejad was being prophetic, not threatening. He was citing Imam Khomeini, who said this line in the 1980s (a period when Israel was actually selling arms to Iran, so apparently it was not viewed as so ghastly then). Mr. Ahmadinejad had just reminded his audience that the Shah's regime, the Soviet Union, and Saddam Hussein had all seemed enormously powerful and immovable, yet the first two had vanished almost beyond recall and the third now languished in prison. So, too, the "occupying regime" in Jerusalem would someday be gone. His message was, in essence, "This too shall pass."

More in the article. I have NO clue how credible that site is

[Kärnfysikern]

after second look at the site it seems very critical towards israel.

But anyway. Is the article accurate? Has anyone that speak arabic heard the presidents speach themself and can tell us?

[Teabagger]

I cannot speak with any linguistic authority on Farsi or the translation. In my gut however, I believe there are too many Western apoligists for radical Islam out there to have not made much of this before...if it is true...and maybe even if it is not true. Even in the US, the left would have had this played over and over again in an effort to discredit Bush and his Axis of Evil stance. I therefore tend to believe it not to be true.

[Prada]

Iranians as well as Ahmadinejad speak Farsi or Persian not Arabic. I am not sure of the legitamacy of the argument or the credibility of source/site. I think the media amplifies things on both sides of the spectrum, Ill have to ask one of my persian friends

[tiger909]

tis true im afraid

[Alex2]

I don't think it is Israel vs. Iran anymore! It is becoming Sunni Muslims vs. Shiaa's and Israel, along with US and the Western countries, is supported by (or supporting) the Sunni group!

During the war between Hezbullah and Israeli, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan (all Sunni Muslim countries) supported Israel directly or indirectly and Hezbullah was supported by Iran and Syria. Shimon Perez thanked Saudi Arabia for its "historical" support to Israel against Hezbullah and I believe that means a lot!

Also, the tension between Sunni's and Shiaa'a is increasing in the Persian Gulf countries. For example, for the first time in the history of Saudi Arabia, Shaia'a protested supporting Hezbullah at the same day and time they did in Iran, Bahrain and Kuwait, which means they are highly coordinated. Also, the Egyptian president said few months ago on a TV interview that Arab Shiaa'a are more loyal to Iran than to their own homelands, which raised many question marks!

I read an interesting article titled “Blood borders, how a better Middle East would look” in the Armed Forces Journal and I believe that situation would happen sooner or later.

http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2006/06/1833899

The current ME



The new ME