Israeli Deputy PM: Iran Didn't Threaten To Wipe Us Off The Map

[Somalia]

Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy Dan Meridor told Al Jazeera that Iran never vowed to "wipe Israel off the map," as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed.

 

Speaking to the Arab network, Meridor, who also serves as deputy PM, said Iran's leaders "all come basically ideologically, religiously with the statement that Israel is an unnatural creature, it will not survive." However, he added, "They didn't say 'we'll wipe it out,' but (rather) 'it will not survive, it is a cancerous tumor, it should be removed'. They repeatedly said 'Israel is not legitimate, it should not exist'."

 

In 2005 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying that Israel should be "wiped off the map," but it was later revealed that the translation of his remarks, published by media outlets around the world, was incorrect. Ahmadinejad was actually quoting the leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution: "The Imam said this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time."

 

Asked by Al Jazeera about the possibility of a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and the outbreak of war in the Middle East, Meridor said Israel does not want a war, but added that Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions."

 

Meanwhile, the United States on Monday dismissed Iran's call for a lifting of sanctions, saying that the Islamic republic must first address concerns over its nuclear program in "concrete" ways.

 

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner called the recent round of talks between Iran and the major world powers in Istanbul a "positive first step." The talks came in the wake of a 15-month halt in negotiations over Iran's nuclear development.

 

However, Toner clarified the talks were the first step in the right direction and there is more work to be done. "No one's talking about any sanctions being reversed or canceled at all," he said.

 

In response to Netanyahu's claim that Iran now has five additional weeks to continue enrichment without any limitation, Toner said "We've got the strongest sanctions in history against Iran right now, and they're going to get stronger as we move into the summer."

 

"Iran is caving under the paralyzing sanctions and has further incentive to come to the negotiation table with practical proposals," he added.

 

Toner said that the United States, echoing a statement by EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton, was ready to look at incentives in return for progress from Iran.

 

"We want to see Iran come up with some concrete proposals moving forward and that if that were to happen, we would look at ways -- Cathy Ashton's statement said as much -- to reciprocate," Toner said.

 

Earlier Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that the entire dispute could be quickly resolved if the West shows goodwill by easing sanctions.

 

Salehi further hinted that Iran could make concessions on its higher-grade uranium enrichment, a key concern of Western powers.

 

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a meeting with National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror that increasing pressure on Iran following the initial round of nuclear talks with the world powers would be "dangerous."

[MoonLight1]

if you look at the world map, there is only one country (palestine) have been wiped off the map, and guess who did it.

 

[faarah22]

there was no palestine before, so how can it be wiped off the map?

[MoonLight1]

faarah22;820938 wrote:

there was no palestine before, so how can it be wiped off the map?

really?

[nuune]

^^ Kan aad la hadleyso waa gaal, palestine iyo Kashmir toona maba uu maqli karo xaasidnimo awgeed, atheist murtad ah miyaad ka sugi inuu taageero Palestine, marka the "really" meel kale inoo dhig aan isticmaalnee.

 

automatically, every atheist wuxuu isku heestaa siduu diinteena suuban uga baxeyba inuu automatically yahey yahuud, iyo kiristaan.

[MoonLight1]

nuune;820965 wrote:

^^ Kan aad la hadleyso waa gaal, palestine iyo Kashmir toona maba uu maqli karo xaasidnimo awgeed, atheist murtad ah miyaad ka sugi inuu taageero Palestine, marka the "really" meel kale inoo dhig aan isticmaalnee.

 

automatically, every atheist wuxuu isku heestaa siduu diinteena suuban uga baxeyba inuu automatically yahey yahuud, iyo kiristaan.

ma anaan fahmin, falastiin wax la yiraahdo ma jirin buu yiri, he seems to be more jew than the real jews themselves.

[Somalia]

faarah22;820938 wrote:

there was no palestine before, so how can it be wiped off the map?

There was. If you go to the Houses of Parliament in the UK, you'll see a statue of Richard the Lionheart and on the placard it says Palestine.

 

Yes, it did exist.

[faarah22]

reall nuune?? ma hubtaa mise wa sheekada alshbaab.

[faarah22]

It's to good to set the record straight show me any map that say palestine before british came.

[Somalia]

Who tells you stuff?:confused: The phrase Palestine was used before year 0.

 

[faarah22]

shax shax, good to see that map you can even read the 12 tribes of israel on it, no where does it mention arabs we now call palestinians. now read the history behind it. the romans named it the province of palestina, to wipe out the name judea when the jews rebeled.marka the arabs are just usurpers of others land you shd know that fact.

[Somalia]

The name Palestine was used before the Romans. I'm going to be kind and say you need to go back to school (though it doesn't look like you've ever been there in the first place).

[faarah22]

aha good you also know that so how did it come about ? let us know ya mr. somalia

[Somalia]

Aah, look at you, trying to save face, it's failing, oh it's failing sxb.