Israel official: Military action against Iran still possible

[Seastallion]

"See, when it comes to Iran merely seeming to make threats, sanctions were imposed."

The first Iranian sanctions were put in place by the US in 1979 when Iran took over the US Embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

I would call this action more than "seeming to make threats".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then there is this comment:

" So what about when Israel, already nuclear armed, blatantly makes threats?"

Israel says the military option is on the table but in my various ramblings around the news sources, I have failed to pick up any references where they have threatened nuclear action against anybody...including Iran.

If they are making blatant threats, I must have simply missed them. Retaliatory threats perhaps?

But then, I seldom read RT and haven't read the Kayhan since being kicked out of Iran in 1979.

'Seeming" refers to the oft-misquoted "wipe Israel off the map".

Now you're saying that because Israel's threats don't include a specific nuclear threat, that they don't count! Iran's historical "threats" did not involve anything nuclear either! Furthermore, Israel's threats are nuclear when you take their Samson option into account.

Yes, saying that military action is an option on the table is a blatant threat.

Feeble, again.

[Seastallion]

Really? 1947. Israel was attacked. In 1956, you forget that the UK and France wanted their Suez Canal back and they used Israel, calling in their IOUs. At the time, Israel was under constant attack by Fedayen operating from secure bases in the Sinai and Gaza and was glad for an opportunity to take on the Fedayen.. The USA was not much of an Israeli ally and in fact backed Egypt. It was Eisenhower who threatened the UK.

1967 was a pre-emptive strike against the armies of Jordan, Egypt and Syria who were massed for attack, In case you forget, Syria and Egypt had formed a union and they key goal was the destruction of Israel. 1967-1970 War of attrition was started by Egypt. First invasion of Lebanon was in response to the defacto Palestinian arab state that was installed in Southern Lebanon and who was attacking Israel on an almost daily basis. 982 Lebanon war was a continuation of the first invasion sparked by the Abu Nidal attempted assassination of the Israeli UN Ambassador. Abu Nidal bases were in the South of Lebanon. Lebanon had been in a state of war with Israel since 1947 when it first attacked Israel. That state of war continues today. All subsequent Israeli military actions have been in response to prolonged direct attacks on Israel.

Nothing that you can refute in the above. However, times have changed. I continue with my view that multiple arab countries have a bigger issue with Iran than does Israel. It just so happens that their interests now coincide with Israel. As such, it is up to these arab countries to show their leadership and to come out in the open and state their concerns. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the ability to take on Iran, provided Egypt provides its land armies. Peace will come from war, and the day Egypt says to Israel, let us move 500,000 troops and air support across Israel to Jordan and the Gulf, and Israel says yes, is the day trust will be built. Stranger things have happened in Israel's history. Egypt was once a leader in the arab world, only to be pushed aside by the brutal colonial Turkish Ottoman Empire and then the British colonial Empire. Egypt will rise again and it will do so by championing the Sunni branch of Islam against the Shia state, Iran.

Thank you for a brilliant analysis. Just a dash of opinion held together all these unassailable facts- nice!

The assailable point is the "pre-emptiveness" of the 1967 war which Israel started.

Watch this balanced (and if anything Israeli-sympathetic) documentary to get insight into how it was not pre-emptive at all, and was probably done on US number crunching results. Note the US official who says Egypt was like a little boy being held by his dad, saying "let me at him, let me at him" and was shocked when UN forces withdrew. Israel wanted the territory, and it got it in 6 days instead of 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZYBUdzJuqI

[Alwyn]

Israelis are fine killing defenseless civilians, they ran from Hezbollah, and would not dare face the Russians, who would surely back Iran.

Israel wiil fiight anybody who attacks. Period.

[Alwyn]

Israel is threatening a sovereign nation. Israel should immediately have sanctions placed against it until it allows nuclear inspections and abides by UN resolutions.

Will the UN inspectors be as effective as they were in Iran?

BTW Israel's position was in response to Iran's threat to wipe the country out.

Any perceived threat issued by any Iranian to "wipe out" Israel should elicit the same reaction as North Korea's incessant declarations (not threats) that the US will be swallowed in a sea of fire. Laughed off. Any rational person knows that Iran knows that the moment it touches a button to launch a nuke, it will be swallowed in a sea of fire.

And mind you, North Korea already has nukes.

What's North Korea got to do with anything? Iran has it written in it's charter that Israel will be destroyed. During negotiations Iran they mad the statement that the destruction of Israel is non-negotiable. Even Saudi have offered 'clean skies' if they want to attack Iran - but forget Israel, all of the Arab nations are appalled that Iran are having nuclear capability blessings.

[Jingthing]

Let's be clear.

The nuclear "deal" between Iran and the major nations which -- face it, has a very good chance of never happening anyway because the interpretation of it in Iran is WILDLY different than what is reported outside Iran, has nothing to do with Iran's long record of toxic hostility towards Israel.

Iran is on record many many times in their determination to end the state of Israel.

Israel only wants Iran to not develop nuclear weapons and yes would love to see a regime change, but has never advocated the termination of the entire nation of Iran.

Israel's position in defense of its very existence is reasonable.

Iran's is horrific.

Iran's Basij Commander: Israel Must Be Wiped Off the Map

Even as talks over Iran's nuclear program proceed, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi issues vile statement.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/193445

Edited April 7, 2015 by Jingthing

[losworld]

Israel is so outof control. Over 200 nukes in their possession they are running around like bullies. Time for the U. S. to stop sending 2 plus billion per year. They want the U.S. to do their dirty work then when the U.S. won't do it they threaten everyone with irresponsible actions.

[Jingthing]

Israel is so outof control. Over 200 nukes in their possession they are running around like bullies. Time for the U. S. to stop sending 2 plus billion per year. They want the U.S. to do their dirty work then when the U.S. won't do it they threaten everyone with irresponsible actions.

Trying to stop Iran from having nukes is entirely rational. Especially for Israel.

[Seastallion]

Israelis are fine killing defenseless civilians, they ran from Hezbollah, and would not dare face the Russians, who would surely back Iran.

Israel wiil fiight anybody who attacks. Period.

According to the OP (and numerous historical events), Israel will attack first.

THAT is not defence.

[Jingthing]

I taught with an Iranian in Bangkok--a huge man. He told me that Iranians don't hate Americans, they hate the American government. His best friend, an Israeli, laughed and said he thought most Americans hated their government too.

It is also my experience that most Iranian people do not hate American people but their government is explicitly and extremely hateful against both the USA and Israel.

The USA is far from the Middle East so I think most American people outside of places like LA with huge Iranian-American populations don't give any thought to their opinions of Iranian PEOPLE either way. It is telling the Iranian restaurants there call themselves Persian though.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Jingthing

[Seastallion]

Let's be clear.

The nuclear "deal" between Iran and the major nations which -- face it, has a very good chance of never happening anyway because the interpretation of it in Iran is WILDLY different than what is reported outside Iran, has nothing to do with Iran's long record of toxic hostility towards Israel.

Iran is on record many many times in their determination to end the state of Israel.

Israel only wants Iran to not develop nuclear weapons and yes would love to see a regime change, but has never advocated the termination of the entire nation of Iran.

Israel's position in defense of its very existence is reasonable.

Iran's is horrific.

Iran's Basij Commander: Israel Must Be Wiped Off the Map

Even as talks over Iran's nuclear program proceed, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi issues vile statement.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/193445

Yet another propaganda inspired mis-translation. And even if it wasn't, it's not a government statement.

The toxicity you speak of....lets see now, who has bombed who in the past? Israel has physically attacked Iran, but has the reverse occurred?

[chuckd]

If one doesn't consider Iranian funding of both Hezbollah and Hamas as "bombing" Israel, then Iran's hands are clean.

If one takes into consideration the funding and arming of the two mentioned terrorists groups into consideration, Iran has very dirty hands indeed.

[Seastallion]

Hogwash. Israel won numerous wars against 5 Arab armies. They will do what they need to do to survive.

They do what they need to steel more land from its neighbours.

Look at a map of the Middle East.

Arabs have a massive amount of land in that region.

Jewish majority Israel has a tiny bit whether you include the West Bank or not (Gaza is definitely out of the equation).

But Israel demonizers can't accept even that.

But anyway, THIS thread is supposed to be about the Persian Iran vs. Jewish Israel thing, right?

But like Iran many other people can't accept even the existence of one small Jewish majority nation state in the world, especially in the Middle East.

Whether you include the West Bank or not.......hmmmm, sounds like you support, or at least acknowledge Israel's encroachment.

Arabs have a massive amount of land in the region and Israel has a tiny bit......OK, lets just make everything in life fair and divide the world into equal portions for everybody. Lets start with a pro rata Arab/Jew division of the Middle East.

Silly, eh? So stop with the "We only have a bit, let us encroach some more on yours" pathetic rhetoric.

[Seastallion]

I taught with an Iranian in Bangkok--a huge man. He told me that Iranians don't hate Americans, they hate the American government. His best friend, an Israeli, laughed and said he thought most Americans hated their government too.

It is also my experience that most Iranian people do not hate American people but their government is explicitly and extremely hateful against both the USA and Israel.

The USA is far from the Middle East so I think most American people outside of places like LA with huge Iranian-American populations don't give any thought to their opinions of Iranian PEOPLE either way. It is telling the Iranian restaurants there call themselves Persian though.

And the Israeli government is explicitly and extremely hateful against Iran.

Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.

[Seastallion]

If one doesn't consider Iranian funding of both Hezbollah and Hamas as "bombing" Israel, then Iran's hands are clean.

If one takes into consideration the funding and arming of the two mentioned terrorists groups into consideration, Iran has very dirty hands indeed.

OK...Iran's hands are clean.

[dexterm]

Alwyn wrote [sorry thread full]

"Iran has it written in it's charter that Israel will be destroyed. During negotiations Iran they made the statement that the destruction of Israel is non-negotiable."

You're making it up. Link please to this fabrication about an imaginary Iranian charter.

Your myth about Iran wanting Israel's destruction has already been refuted earlier in the thread. Iran called for regime change in Israel. Whereas Israel is actively threatening destruction in Iran.

But here it is again for you from a different source .... ynetnews ... the English-language Israeli news website of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's most-read newspaper I suspect the Israeli Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy Dan Meridor and a Deputy PM knows a little more about the subject.

"Speaking to the Arab network [Al Jazeera], 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'."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4216986,00.html

Iran simply states that the racist/religionist Zionist regime in Israel will ultimately collapse. I agree.

Edited April 7, 2015 by dexterm

[ggold]

OP,

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be a threat to its survival, pointing to years of Iranian calls for Israel's destruction

Iran has never called for Israel's destruction. That is a myth perpetrated by a deliberate Israeli mistranslation for propaganda purposes.

Iran has frequently called for regime change in Israel, an end to the Zionist racial supremacist ideology.

"Ahmadinejad never said them. Farsi speakers have pointed out that he was mistranslated. The Iranian president was quoting an ancient statement by Iran's first Islamist leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, that "this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time" just as the Shah's regime in Iran had vanished."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jun/02/comment.usa

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

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2012/04/2012413151613293582.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/Iranian-View-of-Israel/387085/

So, as a reminder to those who argue that Jews should stop worrying so much about people who threaten to kill them, here is some (just some) of what Iran's leaders, and leaders of its proxy militia, Hezbollah, in Lebanon, have said about Israel:

Khamenei: “This barbaric, wolflike & infanticidal regime of Israel which spares no crime has no cure but to be annihilated.” (2014)

Hossein Salami, the deputy head of the Revolutionary Guard: "We will chase you [israelis] house to house and will take revenge for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine, and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat." (2014)

Salami: "Today we are aware of how the Zionist regime is slowly being erased from the world, and indeed, soon, there will be no such thing as the Zionist regime on Planet Earth." (2014)

Hossein Sheikholeslam, the secretary-general of the Committee for Support for the Palestinian Intifada: "The issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method. We will obviously implement the strategy of the Imam Khomeini and the Leader [Khamenei] on the issue of destroying the Zionists. The region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it ..." (2014)

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard: "The Revolutionary Guards will fight to the end of the Zionist regime ... We will not rest easy until this epitome of vice is totally deleted from the region's geopolitics." (2015)

[Jingthing]

And yet the Israel demonization brigade continues to bend over backwards in endless denial of the threat to Israel from Iran. One doesn't wonder why ...

Edited April 7, 2015 by Jingthing

[Seastallion]

OP,

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be a threat to its survival, pointing to years of Iranian calls for Israel's destruction

Iran has never called for Israel's destruction. That is a myth perpetrated by a deliberate Israeli mistranslation for propaganda purposes.

Iran has frequently called for regime change in Israel, an end to the Zionist racial supremacist ideology.

"Ahmadinejad never said them. Farsi speakers have pointed out that he was mistranslated. The Iranian president was quoting an ancient statement by Iran's first Islamist leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, that "this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time" just as the Shah's regime in Iran had vanished."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jun/02/comment.usa

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

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2012/04/2012413151613293582.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/Iranian-View-of-Israel/387085/

So, as a reminder to those who argue that Jews should stop worrying so much about people who threaten to kill them, here is some (just some) of what Iran's leaders, and leaders of its proxy militia, Hezbollah, in Lebanon, have said about Israel:

Khamenei: “This barbaric, wolflike & infanticidal regime of Israel which spares no crime has no cure but to be annihilated.” (2014)

Hossein Salami, the deputy head of the Revolutionary Guard: "We will chase you [israelis] house to house and will take revenge for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine, and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat." (2014)

Salami: "Today we are aware of how the Zionist regime is slowly being erased from the world, and indeed, soon, there will be no such thing as the Zionist regime on Planet Earth." (2014)

Hossein Sheikholeslam, the secretary-general of the Committee for Support for the Palestinian Intifada: "The issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method. We will obviously implement the strategy of the Imam Khomeini and the Leader [Khamenei] on the issue of destroying the Zionists. The region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it ..." (2014)

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard: "The Revolutionary Guards will fight to the end of the Zionist regime ... We will not rest easy until this epitome of vice is totally deleted from the region's geopolitics." (2015)

Geez, some people just can't see the trees for the wood...as has been explicitly explained numerous times, the calls are for a regime change! And indeed yes, the Zionist regime needs to be changed.

[mania]

"Israel official: Military action against Iran still possible"

Behold this wolf in sheep's clothing that so very often bleats that others have threatened to do them harm .

Yet in its true wolf voice so often boldly proclaims it will bomb another country that has done them no harm

…the “claims” being….”they may be a threat at some future time.”

It cannot be more blatant than this & the world needs to clip this now....Full Stop

They have repeatedly shown themselves to be unstable by their deeds, an untrustworthy group that believes they stand above all others

They should not be left unchecked with nuclear weaponry.

This group they call Israel are clearly the ones who will in fact be a threat at some future time to the world if not sooner

Edited April 7, 2015 by mania

[Seastallion]

And yet the Israel demonization brigade continues to bend over backwards in endless denial of the threat to Israel from Iran. One doesn't wonder why ...

Of course there is denial because Iran calls for a regime change! And what of Israel's OVERT threat to Iran the country as a whole???? By your reasoning, Iran has every reason to want to disable Israel.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Seastallion

[Ulysses G.]

And yet the Israel demonization brigade continues to bend over backwards in endless denial of the threat to Israel from Iran. One doesn't wonder why ...

Mostly old fashioned anti-semitism, with a dash of leftwing fashion.

[Jingthing]

Here is the "polite" version directly from the horse's mouth (meant for international digestion while its endless DEATH TO ISRAEL back home) on Iran's plan to eliminate the state of Israel.

Note he proposes a vote of all Palestinians and Jews but only of the Jews that can be called legitimate natives of the land.

www.twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/531366667377717248/photo/1

From this garbage PR item we can conclude these things:

-- The Iranians if they were ever able to enforce such a peaceful vote would only include a small number of Jews. It surely would not include the majority of Israelis born in Israel. Their definition of native Jews would be very biased and strict. Their definition of native Palestinians would be the opposite.

-- Israel would NEVER EVER agree to such an enforced biased vote in the first place. Obviously. For Iran to try to force such a vote would mean they had won a major military victory with massive Israeli casualties. So his rhetoric about not really wanting genocide of the Jews of Israel, if you just examine the crap in the link, is an obvious lie.

It could never happen without such a genocide of Jews in Israel. Because although some of course would flee, most would stay and fight.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

OP,

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be a threat to its survival, pointing to years of Iranian calls for Israel's destruction

Iran has never called for Israel's destruction. That is a myth perpetrated by a deliberate Israeli mistranslation for propaganda purposes.

Iran has frequently called for regime change in Israel, an end to the Zionist racial supremacist ideology.

"Ahmadinejad never said them. Farsi speakers have pointed out that he was mistranslated. The Iranian president was quoting an ancient statement by Iran's first Islamist leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, that "this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time" just as the Shah's regime in Iran had vanished."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jun/02/comment.usa

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

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2012/04/2012413151613293582.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/Iranian-View-of-Israel/387085/

So, as a reminder to those who argue that Jews should stop worrying so much about people who threaten to kill them, here is some (just some) of what Iran's leaders, and leaders of its proxy militia, Hezbollah, in Lebanon, have said about Israel:

Khamenei: “This barbaric, wolflike & infanticidal regime of Israel which spares no crime has no cure but to be annihilated.” (2014)

Hossein Salami, the deputy head of the Revolutionary Guard: "We will chase you [israelis] house to house and will take revenge for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine, and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat." (2014)

Salami: "Today we are aware of how the Zionist regime is slowly being erased from the world, and indeed, soon, there will be no such thing as the Zionist regime on Planet Earth." (2014)

Hossein Sheikholeslam, the secretary-general of the Committee for Support for the Palestinian Intifada: "The issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method. We will obviously implement the strategy of the Imam Khomeini and the Leader [Khamenei] on the issue of destroying the Zionists. The region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it ..." (2014)

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard: "The Revolutionary Guards will fight to the end of the Zionist regime ... We will not rest easy until this epitome of vice is totally deleted from the region's geopolitics." (2015)

Geez, some people just can't see the trees for the wood...as has been explicitly explained numerous times, the calls are for a regime change!

You for one. Those are clearly calls for genocide and denying the obvious does not change the meaning of their words.

[Seastallion]

"Israel official: Military action against Iran still possible"

Behold this wolf in sheep's clothing that so very often bleats that others have threatened to do them harm .

Yet in its true wolf voice so often boldly proclaims it will bomb another country that has done them no harm

…the “claims” being….”they may be a threat at some future time.”

It cannot be more blatant than this & the world needs to clip this now....Full Stop

They have repeatedly shown themselves to be unstable by their deeds, an untrustworthy group that believes they stand above all others

They should not be left unchecked with nuclear weaponry.

This group they call Israel are clearly the ones who will in fact be a threat at some future time to the world if not sooner

Yes, and conspicuous by it's absence is any comment to the remarks about if Israel wants to have a say in international matters regarding military threats and nuclear weapons, they should themselves sign and abide by all the relevant international treaties.

Israel does not abide by nor agree with treaties, so why should they have ANY moral high ground. They simply don't.

[Ulysses G.]

Israel is an established, sovereign country with a decent economy and one of the best armies in the world. " God's promise" is not really the point .

[Jingthing]

Israel is an established, sovereign country with a decent economy and one of the best armies in the world. " God's promise" is not really the point .

Indeed and in fact the origins of the Zionist movement started well before the founding of the state of Israel were largely political and secular instead of a matter of Jewish religious fundamentalism.

[dexterm]

OP,

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be a threat to its survival, pointing to years of Iranian calls for Israel's destruction

Iran has never called for Israel's destruction. That is a myth perpetrated by a deliberate Israeli mistranslation for propaganda purposes.

Iran has frequently called for regime change in Israel, an end to the Zionist racial supremacist ideology.

"Ahmadinejad never said them. Farsi speakers have pointed out that he was mistranslated. The Iranian president was quoting an ancient statement by Iran's first Islamist leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, that "this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time" just as the Shah's regime in Iran had vanished."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jun/02/comment.usa

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

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2012/04/2012413151613293582.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/Iranian-View-of-Israel/387085/

So, as a reminder to those who argue that Jews should stop worrying so much about people who threaten to kill them, here is some (just some) of what Iran's leaders, and leaders of its proxy militia, Hezbollah, in Lebanon, have said about Israel:

Khamenei: “This barbaric, wolflike & infanticidal regime of Israel which spares no crime has no cure but to be annihilated.” (2014)

Hossein Salami, the deputy head of the Revolutionary Guard: "We will chase you [israelis] house to house and will take revenge for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine, and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat." (2014)

Salami: "Today we are aware of how the Zionist regime is slowly being erased from the world, and indeed, soon, there will be no such thing as the Zionist regime on Planet Earth." (2014)

Hossein Sheikholeslam, the secretary-general of the Committee for Support for the Palestinian Intifada: "The issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method. We will obviously implement the strategy of the Imam Khomeini and the Leader [Khamenei] on the issue of destroying the Zionists. The region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it ..." (2014)

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard: "The Revolutionary Guards will fight to the end of the Zionist regime ... We will not rest easy until this epitome of vice is totally deleted from the region's geopolitics." (2015)

And the editor of your source is....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bennet

James Bennet was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Susanne Bennet (née Klejman; of Polish Jewish descent)

.... He joined The New York Times in 1991. He rose to serve as a White House correspondent and the Jerusalem bureau chief for the paper.[1][3] Upon his return from Jerusalem, he wrote a memorandum on the proper usage of the terms "terrorist" and "terrorism", which is often cited by editors of The Times.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bennet

Please quote some credible sources.

[ggold]

Just showing your ignorance. next

Or more likely a case of intentional DISTORTION as the clear goals of Iran to eliminate the state of Israel are shared by so many others in the world as well.

Their hate for Israel, blinds them to to the danger of a nuclear arms race in the ME. I also think such hate says more about the person than the topic in discussion!

Obviously not much of a life if all they can do is spread provable lies and distortions. IMO

[ggold]

OP,

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be a threat to its survival, pointing to years of Iranian calls for Israel's destruction

Iran has never called for Israel's destruction. That is a myth perpetrated by a deliberate Israeli mistranslation for propaganda purposes.

Iran has frequently called for regime change in Israel, an end to the Zionist racial supremacist ideology.

"Ahmadinejad never said them. Farsi speakers have pointed out that he was mistranslated. The Iranian president was quoting an ancient statement by Iran's first Islamist leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, that "this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time" just as the Shah's regime in Iran had vanished."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jun/02/comment.usa

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

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2012/04/2012413151613293582.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/Iranian-View-of-Israel/387085/

So, as a reminder to those who argue that Jews should stop worrying so much about people who threaten to kill them, here is some (just some) of what Iran's leaders, and leaders of its proxy militia, Hezbollah, in Lebanon, have said about Israel:

Khamenei: “This barbaric, wolflike & infanticidal regime of Israel which spares no crime has no cure but to be annihilated.” (2014)

Hossein Salami, the deputy head of the Revolutionary Guard: "We will chase you [israelis] house to house and will take revenge for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine, and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat." (2014)

Salami: "Today we are aware of how the Zionist regime is slowly being erased from the world, and indeed, soon, there will be no such thing as the Zionist regime on Planet Earth." (2014)

Hossein Sheikholeslam, the secretary-general of the Committee for Support for the Palestinian Intifada: "The issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method. We will obviously implement the strategy of the Imam Khomeini and the Leader [Khamenei] on the issue of destroying the Zionists. The region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it ..." (2014)

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard: "The Revolutionary Guards will fight to the end of the Zionist regime ... We will not rest easy until this epitome of vice is totally deleted from the region's geopolitics." (2015)

And the editor of your source is....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bennet

James Bennet was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Susanne Bennet (née Klejman; of Polish Jewish descent)

.... He joined The New York Times in 1991. He rose to serve as a White House correspondent and the Jerusalem bureau chief for the paper.[1][3] Upon his return from Jerusalem, he wrote a memorandum on the proper usage of the terms "terrorist" and "terrorism", which is often cited by editors of The Times.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bennet

Please quote some credible sources.

And Al-jazeera and Wiki leaks are credible sources? you are not credible. still with the twisted lies and distortions. sad person someone is!

for you to refute an article because of the persons descent is racist is it not. Especially when you go out of your way to highlight he is Jewish.

So you are a racist. that makes you a low life in my book.

Edited April 7, 2015 by ggold

[DeaconJohn]

Just showing your ignorance. next

Or more likely a case of intentional DISTORTION as the clear goals of Iran to eliminate the state of Israel are shared by so many others in the world as well.

Their hate for Israel, blinds them to to the danger of a nuclear arms race in the ME. I also think such hate says more about the person than the topic in discussion!

Obviously not much of a life if all they can do is spread provable lies and distortions. IMO

Why don't you reply to the points that are raised instead of attacking the members personally?