Ahmadinejad on Israel: 30 jaw-dropping quotes

President Ahmadinejad of Iran may well become someone the West "can do business with", for pragmatic political reasons. However, it is hard to forget his rhetoric: he is not likely to be joining the Islam Is Peace project,  q.v...

1. "Israel must be wiped off the map … The establishment of a Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world . . . The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of the war of destiny.  The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land."
October 26, 2005
(In an address to 4,000 students at a program titled, 'The World Without Zionism')

NB The translation of this quote is debated and has also been read as "Israel must disappear from the page of history"

2. "The Zionist regime is an injustice and by its very nature a permanent threat. Whether you like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation.  The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm."
April 14, 2006
(In a speech at the opening of the "Support for the Palestinian Intifada" conference on April 14-16 hosted in Tehran)

3. "Today, they [Europeans] have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets … This is our proposal: give a part of your own land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to them [Jews] so that the Jews can establish their country."
December 14, 2005
(Speaking to thousands of people in the Iranian city of Zahedan)

4. "The Zionist regime is the flag bearer of violation and occupation and this regime is the flag of Satan. …It is not unlikely that this regime be on the path to dissolution and deterioration when the philosophy behind its creation and survival is invalid."
August 18, 2007 
(Address to an international religious conference in Tehran)

5. "A new Middle East will prevail without the existence of Israel."
August 4, 2006
(as quoted by Malaysian news agency Bernama website)

6. "In parallel to the official political war there is a hidden war going on and the Islamic states should benefit from their economic potential to cut off the hands of the enemies."

7. "Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces.... Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?  If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe -- like in Germany, Austria or other countries -- to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe."
December 8, 2005
(While speaking to journalists at an Islamic summit in Mecca)

8. "The Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan . . . Many Western governments that claim to be pioneers of democracy and standard bearers of human rights close their eyes over crimes committed by the Zionists and by remaining silent support the Zionists due to their hedonistic and materialistic tendencies."
February 28, 2007
(to a meeting of Sudanese Islamic scholars in Khartoum)

9. "Thanks to people's wishes and God's will the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want…Just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime soon be wiped out"
December 12, 2006
(Comments to Iran's Holocaust Conference)

10. "Though the enemy had made preparations for not allowing Iran (president) to make his voice heard, but, they could not succeed and thanks to grace of God the world people heard our voice."
September 30, 2007

11. "Zionists are people without any religion.  They are lying about being Jewish because religion means brotherhood, friendship and respecting other divine religions…
They are an organized minority who have infiltrated the world. They are not even a 10,000-strong organization."
August 28, 2007
(At a news conference in Tehran)

12.  "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 . . . By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future."
June 3, 2007
(Speech, as quoted by the Fars News Agency)

13. "Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented."
August 2, 2006
(as quoted by Iranian TV)

14. "[N]o Muslim nation would put up with this entity [i.e. Israel] in Islamic lands, not for one moment … If it's true that the [Europeans] committed a big crime in World War II, then they must take responsibility for it themselves, and not ask the Palestinian people to pay the price … Those countries that support this regime [Israel] were terrified at the suggestion that [Israel] should be relocated to their neighborhood. So why should the Palestinians and the countries in our region accept this entity?"
(In a speech before an audience in the Iranian city of Qom, aired on television)

15. "They [the United States] think they are the absolute rulers of the world."
October 29, 2005
(Marching in a demonstration alongside a crowd of students in Tehran)

16. "It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege."
June 19, 2005
(In an interview with state television shortly before his election)

17. "Iran's enemies know your courage, faith and commitment to Islam and the land of Iran has created a powerful army that can powerfully defend the political borders and the integrity of the Iranian nation and cut off the hand of any aggressor and place the sign of disgrace on their forehead."

18. "Soon Islam will become the dominating force in the world, occupying first place in the number of followers amongst all other religions."

19."What is important is that they have shown the way to martyrdom which we must follow.''
[President Ahmadinejad's comments on an aircraft crash in Tehran that killed 108 people in December 2005].

20. "Is there a craft more beautiful, more sublime, more divine, than the craft of giving yourself to martyrdom and becoming holy? Do not doubt, Allah will prevail, and Islam will conquer mountain tops of the entire world."

21. "Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi."

22. "The wave of the Islamist revolution will soon reach the entire world."

23. "We don't shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world."
January 21 2006

24. "Our enemies should know that they are unable to even slightly hurt our nation and they cannot create the tiniest obstacle on its glorious and progressive way."
April 28 2006

25. "By the grace of Allah, we (will be) a nuclear power."

26. "If you have burned the Jews, why don't you give a piece of Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to Israel. Our question is, if you have committed this huge crime, why should the innocent nation of Palestine pay for this crime?"
April 19, 2006

27. "The UN structure is one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam."
June 8, 2005
(In an interview on state television)

28. "Are they human beings?... They (Zionists) are a group of blood-thirsty savages putting all other criminals to shame."
(as quoted by Iranian TV)

29. "The Zionists and their protectors are the most detested people in all of humanity, and the hatred is increasing every day."
July 13, 2006
(as quoted by Iranian state television)

30. ''We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot logically continue to live. Open the doors (of Europe) and let the Jews go back to their own countries."
April 24, 2006
(In a news conference held on April 24, 2006)

Comments

[Luke]

At least he speaks his mind, which is more than can be said the Zionists and Neo-cons who rule this world through stealth and deception.

[Mohammed]

Most of his quotes have been taken out of context. Translating Persian into English is very complex. Here is a link to debunk the most important of his quotes:

"Lost in translation

Experts confirm that Iran's president did not call for Israel to be 'wiped off the map'. Reports that he did serve to strengthen western hawks" - (source the guardian)

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_steele/2006/06/post_155.html

[Dr. Irene Lancaster FRSA]

Well this Zionist spent the day in a mainly Arab school in Jaffa, teaching the mainly Arab pupils new music for Succot and Simhat Torah, two national as well as religious Jewish holidays here; extending sympathy to those who are fasting for Ramadan and still having to attend my music lessons in the heat (they don't have to participate); and enjoying the lovely local Arabic pop music offered to the class by eager students.

These kids are the future and not the hate-mongers and their foolish, if not sinful Western supporters.

[David McMillan]

I'm sure you could have easy found 30 harsh comments Bush made about Sadam before we went to war. 30 things unfavorable Giuliani is saying now... So would that mean the rest of the world has the right to attack us?

Oh wait it's different when we say nasty things about others, while then killing and torturing them.

What happens if Iran makes the clam they are going to start a preemptive war on Israel? After all Israel is bigger risk to Iran then Iraq was to us. What's right for us should be right for others? [sic]

[Rod Polisher]

All you have done is propagated the lie about what he said. He was quoting Khomeini when he said "The illegal regime occupying Al-Quds (Jerusalem) should vanish from the pages of time / history". This is easily verifiable. You'll note that he never mentioned Israel, Jews or maps. Nothing in what he said implies any action on the part of Iran against Israel. Besides, Iran trying to fight against a 200 nuclear weapons armed Israel is patently ridiculous. What he was referring to was the disappearance of the Soviet Union, Apartheid and many other odious stains on Humanity, all of whom have disappeared with a shot being fired.

[Rod Polisher]

It's great when people in the media who should know better, start to demonize Iran to soften up public opinion before an attack or should I say war crime?

Please produce some / any shred of evidence that Iran is guilty of ANY illegal activity. We've all seen how reliable Israeli / US intelligence is when it came to Iraqi WMDs, 45 minute launch times and dishonest PowerPoints to the UN by Colin Powell.

The IAEA and the CIA have both said Iran is 10 years away from getting a nuclear weapon IF it headed in that direction. There is NO evidence to suggest so. They are legally entitled to enrich Uranium up to 5% to use in a fuel cycle to generate electricity. They have managed to achieve about 3.75%! To weaponize it requires 90%+

Why doesn't the US offer the Iranians a light water reactor whose fuel cannot be weaponized?

The real reason is Oil, American hegemony and neutralizing any "potential" threat to Israel. Oh, and I almost forget, to teach the Iranians a lesson for selling their oil in Euros and not dollars just like Saddam had the audacity to do!

[Rod Polisher]

A far more newsworthy story would be the 25,000 loyal Iranian Jews who have lived peacefully there for the last 2,500 years from before the time of Christ.

Israel is trying to tempt them to emigrate there but with little success. They are being offered an additional $60,000 USD on top of the already generous incentives.

[Rod Polisher]

It is OK to deny the existence of God but we cannot even examine or question the accuracy of the Holocaust. Is the Holocaust more important than God?

Questioning the true extent of the Holocaust is NOT the same as denying it. Ahmedinejad was right when he said that we do not stop studying Physics because there is enough information about it.

We are continually and consistently told that 6 million Jews died including 4 million at Auschwitz. So if it was found that the figure turned out to be much less, then surely it would be a cause for celebration. Unless you were not too happy about the reparations being paid cut to reflect this.

The OFFICIAL Auschwitz museum has already reduced the number down from 4 million to 1.1 million in 1992 on their website and the memorial plaque.

http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/new/let_my_people_live/forum/www.auschwitzanniversary2005.pl/index-eng76df.html?s2=facts&s3=liczby

The Red Cross on their website state 1.5 million (90% Jewish) were interred at Auschwitz but only 7,500 people survived. A discrepancy of 2.5 million.

http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/68zeb2?opendocument

So maybe Ahmedinejad was right after all?

The Auschwitz Museum or the Red Cross can hardly be accused of being anti-semitic?

I bet you will not have the guts to print this, even though it contains the truth backed up by indisputable facts from organizations whose credentials are impeccable!

[David Mccaig]

Why the propoganda? What are you trying to sell? Who are you trying to persuade? Your tactics can only appeal to the ignorant. The enlightened see you for what they are and can only shake their heads with contempt at the hatred that you are trying to create.

[Chris Gillibrand]

I seem to remember that some people said that Hitler's words were also mistranslated.

A thoroughly Westernised exile from Iran who wore only expensive designer brands, once told me that she wanted to push all the Jews in Israel into the sea. If that is what the opponents of the Iranian government think, I dread myself to think what is presently believed in Iran.

[Rowan]

Here's what i don't understand about conservative columists.

They say Israel is a wonderful because it is a democracy. Yet by hysterically pointing out certain Arab hostilities towards the ZIONIST regime, pundits like Finkelstein are automatically associating the modern Israeli democratic state with a purely Zionist state.

The true Zionist state would have to fulful its Zionist principles - to establish a Jewish homeland from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. And this is presicely the vision held by Ben-Gurion and his first cabinet (they agreed in public to the UN-partition, but in private, as revealed by Israeli archives, they envisioned the annexing of the West Bank and Gaza). Also, the Zionst state was envisioned as a homeland STRICTLY for the jews (otherwise it cease to be Eretz Yisrael). This is perhaps the only national ideology in the world (besides apartheid South Africa or Nazism) where notions of racial purity are central to the ideology itself.

If I call to 'wipe the imperialist regime off the map' with reference to American, does that mean i want to liquidate America, or just to get rid of the neo-cons? Life is not always as black and white as you may think, Daniel.

[Desmond Taylor]

Well this really bought out the tin-foil hat gang.So this kerfuffle was just a translation error?. If only there had been a decent translation of Adolf's speeches maybe that 'incident' might not have occurred. When this man says that he is expecting the coming of the 12th Imman, I expect that was transcription error too. Wait till the silly people at Queer Iran find out it was all a hoax and they can all 'come out'. I wonder what other parts of History have been mistranslated?.

[Stanzler]

Desmond Taylor, you may not want to believe Ahmadinejad regarding Israel but please read this article - Right from the horses mouth:

A racist Jewish state

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/884358.html

[Kev]

Don't you just love apologists - the same type of people were having a love in with Hitler before the second world war and always come up with excuses for some of the most evil men / women in the world. One thing that they don't mention is that the majority of muslims regard Ahmadinejad as a complete loony. I suppose these same people will come up with excuses for Mugabe next. I do agree that we have to be careful not to lump this guy in with Islam as that would be an insult to the millions of Muslims throughout the world.

[Eugene]

If it were true that the Zionists are European I suppose we could do a deal. Muslim countries such as Iran could stop denying homelands to other peoples (I have in mind the Kurds and the people of West Africa) Turkey could relinquish the parts of Europe it still occupies, a legacy of the Ottoman Empire. Constantinople - sorry, Istanbul - could become the new Jerusalem. Turkey could also pay reparations for the genocide of one million Christian Armenians 90 years ago.

But the fact is Zionists are Jews and Jews come from Israel. They have been fighting the Palestinians (Philistines) for thousands of years. Once David killed Goliath with a stone, now the Philistines throw stones at David. It's their fight and nobody elses.

[Timothy]

Love the observation that there are 25,000 "loyal Iranian Jews" in that country. And isn't that really the issue? Jews are tolerable as long as they lack political power and remain "loyal" to the host country that has graciously allowed them to live there.
Those who say they oppose Zionism but have nothing against Jews are really saying they won't tolerate a Jew having political power.
Ahmedinijad holds this position, too: on the one hand he argues that Europeans ought to give land to Jews if they wish to recompense them for the crime of the Holocaust (see #7), even while saying "the Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan" (see #8). For Ahmedinijad, the location of the "Zionist Entity" is irrelevant. That there is a "Zionist Entity" is not.

[SgtG]

I despise this man with a strong passion. I suspect I will see him fall but I fear that his destruction will bring more trouble to the world. These are hard times we all are living in. Its a shame we cant share this little planet together.

[Al]

What makes Ahmadinejad so fearful to the powers-that-be (and their servants in the mainstream newsmedia) is that he is practically the first third-world leader ever who is telling the world the unadorned and undistorted truth. As they can't answer him (how can you answer someone who is simply telling the truth, anyway?), they resort to taking single phrases and sentences out of context, as well as the usual mistranslations by biased individuals. If you are interested in learning what he really stands for, please read the blog below:

http://ahmadinejadquotes.blogspot.com/

[Ben]

And we are supposed to let this guy build nuclear bombs?

[stanzler]

"And we are supposed to let this guy build nuclear bombs?

Posted by: Ben | 4 Oct 2007 20:28:01"

Only one county has ever used nuclear weapons on unarmed civilians. Can you guess? Yes, they're very close allies and greatly influenced by Israel. Do you expect Iran (or any other country) to trust that country? Furthermore, Iran does not wish to be "Iraqed"

[Rod Polisher]

Timothy, Most Zionists and their apologists would have us believe that Jews are not safe anywhere in the world apart from Israel, when in fact the opposite is true. If Iran was so Anti-Jewish (I hesitate to use the term Anti-Semitic as Middle Eastern Arabs, The Maltese and even some East Africans are Semitic too), they have been pretty negligent in allowing these Jews to live there for 2500 years!

I guess Ahmedinejad had something in common with Jesus then because he also decried the Scribes and Pharisees in John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil". The only time he used violence of sorts was to throw out the money changers from the temple.

Modern Jews proudly proclaim that they uphold the Pharisaic tradition and the oldest continuos legal code the (odious, racist, supremacist, hate-filled) Talmud. Ever wonder why the Talmud is not in Libraries or easily available. Read it, educate yourself and find out!

[Rod Polisher]

Timothy, In Iran, each religious group gets one parliamentry representative per 150,000 of population. Despite there being less Jews to qualify for a representative, they still have one.

In Bahrain, there is a Jewish woman (Huda Nonoo) and Christian woman(Alice Seeman) representative on the Shura Council (the upper house similar to the Senate or House of Lords). The Jewish population of Bahrain is about 30 people.

Nicholas Sarkozy in France is a 2nd generation Hungarian Jewish immigrant. Our Foreign Secretary David Milliband and his brother Ed who is a fellow Minister are Jewish. Ditto Michael Howard, Peter Mandelson, Leon Brittan, Nigel Lawson, Edwina Currie, Oliver Letwin, Margaret Hodge...

A list of American Jewish politicians would take too long to compile.

Makes your claim of denying Jews political power pretty embarassing.

[Maggie Millington]

Despicable little man !

[Rod Polisher]

And we are supposed to let this guy build nuclear bombs? - Ben

Do you have ANY evidence that the Iranians either want to or have tried to build nuclear weapons? Evidence does not include what politicians say, what you saw on the TV or read in the paper. Evidence is something tangible that the IAEA or other agencies can confirm.

Iran has had over 2000 inspections, IAEA cameras are in place and the Iranians are in complete compliance.

Now Israel's programme on the other hand at Dimona...Lied to its allies, concealed and denied its existence, no IAEA inspections, not a signatory to the NPT....

[Timothy]

Rod, it is obvious that political power and token representation are not the same thing. On the contrary, the latter seeks by intention to undercut the former. Political power is only worthy of the definition when it can be fully exercised.
As for a Jewish political presence in the west, to be sure there are many in positions of power. Isn't this one of the reasons why we are assaulted daily with claims of a Zionist-controlled media, banking and political systems?
Clearly, any expression of Jewish political power, whether it's in the west or Israel, is viewed by many as the problem--hence the cries of Zionist conspiracies left and right.