Iran's Final Solution Plan
by Daniel Pipes
New York Sun
November 1, 2005
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3100
"Iran's stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon [i.e.,
Israel]. We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state
should be removed from the region."
No, those are not the words of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
speaking last week. Rather, that was Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic
of Iran's supreme leader, in December 2000.
In other words, Ahmadinejad's call for the destruction of Israel was
nothing new but conforms to a well-established pattern of regime
rhetoric and ambition. "Death to Israel!" has been a rallying cry for the
past quarter-century. Mr. Ahmadinejad quoted Ayatollah Khomeini, its
founder, in his call on October 26 for genocidal war against Jews: "The
regime occupying Jerusalem must be eliminated from the pages of
history," Khomeini said decades ago. Mr. Ahmadinejad lauded this
hideous goal as "very wise."
In December 2001, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian
president and still powerful political figure, laid the groundwork for an
exchange of nuclear weapons with Israel: "If a day comes when the
world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in possession,
the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate because application of
an atomic bomb would not leave anything in Israel but the same thing
would just produce minor damages in the Muslim world."
In like spirit, a Shahab-3 ballistic missile (capable of reaching Israel)
paraded in Tehran last month bore the slogan "Israel Should Be Wiped
Off the Map."
The threats by Messrs. Khamenei and Rafsanjani prompted yawns but
Mr. Ahmadinejad's statement roused an uproar.
The U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, expressed "dismay," the U.N.
Security Council unanimously condemned it, and the European Union
condemned it "in the strongest terms." Prime Minister Martin of Candida
deemed it "beyond the pale," Prime Minister Blair of Britain expressed
"revulsion," and the French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy,
announced that "for France, the right for Israel to exist should not be
contested." Le Monde called the speech a "cause for serious alarm," Die
Welt dubbed it "verbal terrorism," and a London Sun headline
proclaimed Ahmadinejad the "most evil man in the world."
The governments of Turkey, Russia, and China, among others, expressly
condemned the statement. Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of
Resistance of Iran, a leading opposition group, demanded that the
European Union rid the region of the "hydra of terrorism and
fundamentalism" in Tehran. Even the Palestinian Authority's Saeb Erekat
spoke against Mr. Ahmadinejad: "Palestinians recognize the right of the
state of Israel to exist, and I reject his comments." The Cairene daily
Al-Ahram dismissed his statement as "fanatical" and spelling disaster for
Arabs.
Iranians were surprised and suspicious. Why, some asked, did the mere
reiteration of long-standing policy prompt an avalanche of outraged
foreign reactions?
In a constructive spirit, I offer them four reasons. First, Mr.
Ahmadinejad's virulent character gives the threats against Israel added
credibility. Second, he in subsequent days defiantly repeated and
elaborated on his threats. Third, he added an aggressive coda to the
usual formulation, warning Muslims who recognize Israel that they "will
burn in the fire of the Islamic umma [nation]."
This directly targets the Palestinians and several Arab states, but
especially neighboring Pakistan. Just a month before Mr. Ahmadinejad
spoke, the Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, stated that "Israel
rightly desires security." He envisioned the opening of embassies in
Israel by Muslim countries like Pakistan as a "signal for peace." Mr.
Ahmadinejad perhaps indicated an intent to confront Pakistan over
relations with Israel.
Finally, Israelis estimate that the Iranians could, within six months, have
the means to build an atomic bomb. Mr. Ahmadinejad implicitly
confirmed this rapid timetable when he warned that after just "a short
period … the process of the elimination of the Zionist regime will be
smooth and simple." The imminence of a nuclear-armed Iran transforms
"Death to Israel" from an empty slogan into the potential premise for a
nuclear assault on the Jewish state, perhaps relying on Mr. Rafsanjani's
genocidal thinking.
Ironically, Mr. Ahmadinejad's candor has had positive effects, reminding
the world of his regime's unremitting bellicosity, its rank anti-Semitism,
and its dangerous arsenal. As Tony Blair noted, Mr. Ahmadinejad's
threats raise the question, "When are you going to do something about
this?" And Mr. Blair later warned Tehran with some menace against its
becoming a "threat to our world security." His alarm needs to translate
into action, and urgently so.
We are on notice. Will we act in time?
(in the newsletter sent to me, there are several hidden links to other sources, that do not show here..granny)
1 November 2005 - Amsterdam trains halted after suspicious package found on rails; belonged to 2 men in Islamic garb who hid in bathroom
I would definitely classify a package as suspicious if it were dumped on the railroad tracks by 2 guys in Islamic garb who immediately ran and hid in the bathroom.
Hang on a second. That means I would be profiling.
On second thought, if someone wearing full Islamic gard throws a package on the tracks and then runs and hides, I'd have to say he probably deserves to be profiled and locked up.
Anyway here's the article
Trains Halted at Amsterdam Central Station
Tuesday November 1, 2005 5:16 PM
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Eastbound train traffic at Amsterdam's central station was halted Tuesday afternoon after a suspicious package was found on an international train arriving from Frankfurt, Germany, Amsterdam police said.
Spokesman Gerard Vrooland said the incident had been turned over to the national police, which have the only Dutch bomb squads.
The national NOS television reported that the package belonged to two Dutch-speaking men in tradition Islamic dress who were arrested after initially hiding in one of the train's bathrooms.
A spokesman for the national police said he could not immediately confirm the NOS report.
There was no immediate word on whether the package was dangerous.
Heightening public nervousness, the alert came on the eve of first anniversary of the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic radical, which a court ruled was an act of terrorism.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5384707,00.html