Diplomatic Impunity

NY Times ^ | 7/20/08 | DEBORAH SOLOMON

[Dawnsblood]

As the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, you are about to leave your post after nearly six years and return to Tel Aviv at a time when Iran is releasing touched-up photographs of its latest missile tests and continuing to enrich uranium in defiance of U.N. sanctions. How seriously do you take their threats? Listen to Ahmadinejad, who denies the Holocaust while planning the next one, who talks about wiping Israel off the face of the map — listen to him, and take him at face value.

But what if it’s all bluster? Maybe he’s just a short man who needs to pontificate. For too long, much of the world, including Neville Chamberlain, believed that Hitler was just a crazy short man. I don’t think we can afford to do it again.

Considering the long and illustrious history of the Persians, isn’t it unlikely that the Iranians would ever do anything reckless with nuclear weapons? The real fear is not that the Iranians will be crazy enough or stupid enough to launch a missile at Israel, but that they will have no compunction about providing rogue regimes and terror organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah with weapons of mass destruction.

[Dawnsblood]

These reporters doing the questioning are just clueless. Ambassador Gillerman must have had to try really hard not to break out laughting at them for this idiocy.

[goldstategop]

I'm sorry to see Dan Gillerman go. But he's correct that Israel cannot afford to lightly dismiss Iran's threats as mere bluff. For the word is usually a father to the deed.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Rummyfan]

How seriously do you take their threats? Listen to Ahmadinejad, who denies the Holocaust while planning the next one, who talks about wiping Israel off the face of the map — listen to him, and take him at face value.

But what if it’s all bluster? Maybe he’s just a short man who needs to pontificate.

When a madman speaks like this, and the actions of his nation move it ever closer to the reality of executing such actions, I think you have to take his remarks at face value! And that's not even factoring in over thirty years of active support of terrorists worldwide murdering Jews.

[SJackson]

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