Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
   
   
 
 
Special Information Bulletin   
     November 2003
   
 

Iran Calls for the Destruction of Israel

   
 
THE TEXT WICH APPEARED ON THE “SHIHAB-3” MISSILE
LAUNCHERDURING MILITARY PARADE IN TEHERAN
("HOLY DEFENSE WEEK", SEPTENBER 22)
 

 
“ISRAEL MUST BE ERADICATED FROM THE ANNALS OF HISTORY”
     
     
 

Speaker

Background

Statement

Iranian Leader Khamenai

(2 October 2000, Radio Tehran)

“In principle, Israel has a plundering character. Real peace can only be implemented if no side has imperialistic desires and only the real owners of Palestine will rule it, Jews, Moslems or Christians. The recent events have proven that this regime (Israel) conquered the territories by a campaign of murders…. A regime based on force might last a certain period, but it will fail in the end… the Palestinians struggle and the Moslems' support for them will bring us to good results and will eliminate the enemy.”

(22 October 2000, Khabar TV )

“The countdown for the Zionist regime has begun.”

In a meeting with Syrian Premier, upon his visit to Tehran (23 November 2000, Iranian TV in Persian )

“Certainly the region will witness the day when the Zionist regime will cease to exist … the new Intifada of the Palestinian people will not stop despite all the oppressive steps … and just as many events that seemed impossible occurred, the establishment of a Palestinian State and the destruction of Israel will certainly occur.”

In a Friday sermon, (15 December 2000, Iranian TV )

“This is another reason for saving Palestine and destroying the Zionist government. For this reason, Iran and all those supporting freedom view the struggle with Israel as a means for securing the interests of the Moslem states… Iran's position which was first expressed by the Imam and stated several times by those responsible, is that the cancerous tumor called Israel must be uprooted from the region. The formula for solving this problem is simple and very humane – that Palestine's inhabitants, not the inhabitants who immigrated to Palestine, return to their land from the refugee camps and from wherever they are and will decide for themselves what the nature of the regime will be. Of course it is natural that no Palestinian, nor Moslem (most of whom are such), as well as the minority – Christians and Jews – will accept the fact that there will be those from London or Moscow or the US who arrive in their country and set up a regime and rule them. The truth is that no Zionist regime at any time will be able to survive on Palestine's soil .”

In a meeting with the organizers of the International Conference for Support of the Intifada (15 January 2001, Iranian TV )

“The foundation of the Islamic regime is opposition to Israel and the perpetual subject of Iran is the elimination of Israel from the region . Palestine is Islamic land that was conquered by an anti-Islamic enemy, and according to Islam, one must oppose the Zionist regime. The support for the Palestinians is a religious decree.”

In a meeting with the heads of the Palestinian opposition organizations (26 April 2001, Iranian TV in Persian )

“One must not think that the elimination and destruction of the Zionist regime , despite the powers' support and their advanced arms, is an impossibility .”

In a Friday sermon

(7 December 2001 Iranian TV in Persian )

“The Islamic world must stop being lax and use all its available means to protect Palestine… the Zionist regime is immersed so deep in mud, that it does not know what to do! It is clear that exploitation, lies and murder will not have a good end. These things were destined to take place, and the Zionist regime still faces difficult days … by the participation of the Palestinian youths in the struggle against the occupiers, the Intifada's flames of honor and fire will climb higher, and when sooner or later the occupiers of Palestine are destroyed , this piece of land will be governed by the Palestinians.”

In the Protection of Palestinians Conference, (31 Dec 2001, Khabar TV )

“The present generation will witness the liberation of Palestine… many of the problems of the Islamic World result from the presence of the cancerous tumor in the body of the Islamic World – the Zionist Regime… any compromise on the Palestinian subject would be in complete opposition to Iranian national interests, and our present prestige, honor and national interests are based on our steadfastness vis-a-vis this cancerous tumor.”

In a Friday sermon (5 April 2002, Khabar TV )

Support for suicide bombings and the weakening of Israel – Khamenai praised the behavior of the Palestinian mother who sends her child on a suicide mission and Arafat's statement that he wants to become a Shahid, and he expressed hope that he will stand by his commitment. He emphasized that in light of the Palestinian opposition and by the “march on the road of the Shahids, Israel is slowly disappearing”. By this method, the Palestinians caused an increase in the emigration rate from Israel (“the cancerous growth”) amongst the immigrants, and stopped further immigration to it.

Iranian President Khatemi

In a conference on the subject of the Koran in Iran,

(24 October 2000, Khabar TV )

“In the Koran God commanded to kill the wicked and those who do not see the rights of the oppressed and murder them, and today we must all hear the sound of the cries of our oppressed brethren in Palestine and mobilize to protect them… refraining from making an effort to save the Palestinian people will be a mark on the foreheads of those who not only did not make an effort, but even helped and help the enemies of Islam. If we abide by real legal laws, we should mobilize the whole Islamic World for a sharp confrontation with the Zionist regime… if we abide by the Koran, all of us should mobilize to kill.”

In an interview during a visit to Japan
(1 November 2000, ISNA )

“We do not recognize Israel, since its existence is based on the conquest of Palestine lands and the imposition of its policy on all the area's inhabitants. We believe that all of Palestine's inhabitants – Moslems, Christians and Jews together can decide democratically on the sovereign framework under which they wish to co-exist.”

A letter from Khatemi read out to the participants of a conference under Iranian Foreign Ministry auspices, (19 November 2000, Iranian TV in Persian )

“The Zionist regime is an undesirable entity in the Middle East, its leaders are imperialists that adopt methods of mass massacre and are attempting to impose artificial peace by force…more than a hundred years have elapsed since the racist idea of establishing the Zionist regime was first raised, following which a violent and criminal regime was established in Palestine … it is hoped that it will be possible despite all difficulties to solve the current crisis in the Middle East and bring about a just peace.”

Near the time of his meeting with Syrian Prime Minister in Tehran, (22 November 2000, Khabar TV )

“The Zionist regime continues its illegal existence with the support of the great powers , and it is now clear that the joint position of Iran and Syria against the Zionist regime was the correct one. The Zionist regime defies any logic.”

In the “Palestine Conference”

(24 April 2001, IRNA )

“One must listen to the voice of Jerusalem and stand firm vis-a-vis a policy which has turned this holy channel into its altar of racism and violence …how did the ancient co-existence between Moslems, Christians and Jews turn into an altar of racism and intolerance of Zionism … the dangerous phenomenon of Zionism is what is behind the military clashes and the current political conflicts… Zionism has turned the holy religion of Moses into a game of its Satanic desires … the Zionist establishment is based on self-glorification and on trampling on the rights of others, and the same erroneous basis has created a state which is the most despotic ever in history in its violence and brutality, in trampling on the most basic of human rights… the exploits of valor of the Intifada are a pillar of hope for the people's faith and bravery, and for removing the rule of force and violence … whoever wants the spreading of liberty, justice and defense of human rights and honor… cannot but support the Intifada. ….the Islamic Revolution in Iran, from its very outset until the various phases of its victory and consolidation, espoused the slogan – ‘today Iran – tomorrow Palestine' – this is the perpetual cry of our holy martyrs (Shahids)… the exploits of valor in south Lebanon and in Intifada II have disproved the myth that the Zionist regime is invincible, and have opened a clear future of struggle and victory for the Palestinian people.”

In a speech on the occasion of Iranian Armed Forces Day (18 April 2002, IRNA )

Khatemi called the Islamic states to unite “in order to topple the Zionist Regime” – not necessarily by military means (“without firing a single bullet” – so as to reinstate the rights of the Palestinians).

Head of the Expediency Council and Former President, Rafsanjani

In a Friday sermon, (14 December 2000, Khabar TV )

“ The Jews [who immigrated to Israel] should expect a ‘reverse exodus', because one day, the tumor will be removed from the body of the Islamic World, and then millions of Jews who moved there will become homeless again . And when will that be? We shall have to discuss it another time”… “If one day, a very important day, of course, the Islamic World will also be equipped with the weapons available to Israel now, the imperialist strategy will reach an impasse, because the employment of even one atomic bomb inside Israel will wipe it off the face of the earth, but [such a bomb] would only do damage to the Islamic World . It is not unreasonable to consider this possibility… the people who have no choice but to sacrifice themselves will not be intimidated by the [Israeli] violence. After all, they have nothing to lose. How can a man lose something when he believes that by blowing himself up, one moment he is in the material world and in another moment he is in a divine heaven, borne by the wings of God's angels . And when he comes there, he shall sit by the Prophet and God's offspring, in a welcoming ceremony honoring the Shahids.”

Iranian Foreign Minister, Kharazi

An interview during a visit in Lebanon

(21 March 2001, Al Safir )

“The Lebanese people suffered a great deal from the Israeli occupation and we in Iran have stood by this people, and by the Islamic resistance in the battle for liberation of the land, and we shall also stand by its side until the full liberation and the defeat of Israel . The Iranian-Syrian-Lebanese cooperation, which led to the IDF withdrawal from south Lebanon, will also lead to the liberation of Palestine.”

Deputy Foreign Minister

Mohammad Sadr

In an open conference held in the Interior Ministry in Tehran by the Iranian party umbrella organization

(7 May 2002, IRNA )

Apparently in response to claims that Iran's position on this subject does not serve its national interests, the deputy foreign minister claimed that the support for the Palestinians is effectively preserving the national interest, and therefore it heads the order of priorities. This, since the Palestinians are fighting Iran's enemies, Israel and the US, and as long as the Intifada continues, it means that the “enemy is busy” and cannot find time to attack Iraq, and possibly Iran afterwards. Thus, Iran will support the Palestinians and the Intifada as long as this position does not in any way threaten its interests and security. The chairman of the Majlis Foreign and Defence Committee, Miradmadi, stated that although Iran believes that “Israel must not continue to exist” in the new circumstances which have developed “it must consider and see to what extent this slogan can be implemented. He said that if most of the Palestinian people agreed to some sort of solution to the conflict, the slogan of Israel's destruction will no longer serve the Iranian interest and in such a case, Iran “will not be able to be more Palestinian than the Palestinians”.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Asafi

(19 December 2000, Radio Tehran )

“The entire Palestinian people has entered the arena of struggle with the Zionist regime and wants realization of all its rights, including the right to determine its fate and the right of return. The return to the negotiating table ignores the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The only way to restore calm to the region is the destruction of the root of the crisis and implementation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

Presidential Advisor and Head of the International Conference in Support of the Intifada, Muhtashemi Pur

In a conference on the subject of Jerusalem in Lebanon

(29 January 2001, Radio Tehran )

“The Moslem nations must support the Palestinian people by supplying arms and funds and fulfilling its Jihad needs ...”

(29 January 2001, Radio Tehran )

“The Zionist entity is a dangerous cancerous tumor in the Islamic and Arab body and by means of its tentacles, it threatens world and human peace, therefore it must be uprooted.”

   
 
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Speaker

Background

Statement

In an interview
(8 March 2001, Al Khiyyat )

“The results of the elections in Israel clarify to the Islamic world and to the rest of the world that the only way to contend with this enemy that spills blood is by struggle, through which victory will be achieved . This is the only way that the Palestinian people, which face the danger of extinction by the Zionists, can act... only the struggle will compel Israel to withdraw and recognize its defeat as happened in Lebanon by the Islamic resistance and Hizballah... Should the Palestinians require further training, there are many forces in Lebanon and in other Arab countries like Hizballah that have expressed their willingness to provide the required knowhow for defeating Israel.. The possibility that Iran would provide the Palestinians with such aid cannot be ruled out, although it is not currently on the agenda.”

(8 June 2001, Al-Majallah )

“Iran can withstand a confrontation with the Zionist Regime; every Moslem and all Islamic Regimes are obliged to protect one another… and they will not stand idle if Iran is threatened by Israel.”

In a conference of Moslem clergymen in Beirut

(9 January 2002, Al-Manar TV )

“The Palestinian people has only the choice of ‘suicide' attacks against the occupation army, as the only weapon this people has against the Zionist enemy, in order for the international community to know that the Intifada and Palestinian resistance are legitimate rights which the people realize by protecting themselves. The people will continue the struggle and resistance, whatever US pressures are exerted and whatever arbitrary steps the Zionist army takes against the Palestinian Intifada … each and every Moslem must arise in order to eradicate this cancerous cell using the soul, the money and all available resources …the Palestinians and all Moslems are committed to fighting the Zionist enemy until Palestine is liberated by Jihad and resistance and by using all available options.”

(8 June 2002, ISNA )

“Israel's existence is a combination of imperialism and invasion… the only way to create peace and stability in the region is the destruction of the Zionist regime and establishment of a comprehensive government which relies on the voice of the people of the Palestinian nation.”

In a speech at the end of the Intifada Support Conference

(22 August 2003)

“Israel is a state created by the West and stuck it as a ‘knife in the heart of the Islamic world'… peace will never reign in the region as long as Israel exists and it is a cancerous growth which aspires to destroy the Islamic world”.

In the summary declaration of the conference it was written “the destruction of the Zionist regime is a precondition for the institution of democracy in the region”.

(21 August 2003, IRNA )

“Only following the destruction of this (Israel's) regime, will a popular government be possible in Palestine which will lead to calm, security and popular rule in the region”.

Member of the “Expediency Council” in leader of the conservative camp in the Islamic regime, Nateq Nuri,

(29 December 2002, ISNA )

“The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” are Israel's strategy for the long term and the intermediate term. The ultimate goal of this document is “to achieve Zionist domination of the world by coercion and violence”. He added that Israel's existence contradicts Iran's national interests while the struggle against Israel is part of the defense of the goals of the Islamic regime. He also attacked calls in Iran which undermine, in his view, the assumption that defense of Iranian national interests necessitates support of the Palestinians.

IRGC Deputy Commander, Zuelqadr

(4 June 2002, IRNA)

“One of the most efficient ways to support the Palestinian people is to have the Islamic states sever their relations with the Israeli regime… Palestine is the source of inspiration for all Moslems and Israel is a tumor that must be destroyed…”

Iranian Ambassador to Syria, Hussein Sheikh Al-Islam

(19 December 2000, AP )

“ Israel will disappear from the world map, and a Palestinian state will come in its place, if the Arab states unite against it . If guns from Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iran start to shell, Israel will not continue to exist. Iran will not change its position regarding Israel or the US.”

(10 August 2001, ISNA )

“If the Palestinian fighters do not fight the Zionist regime on the land of this state, then we shall have to fight the Zionist regime here… they are trying to surround Iran because Iran is their main enemy, and therefore it is our main enemy… Our existence means the non-existence of the Zionist Regime , and its existence means our non-existence.” One of us must live here and there is no question that it is us who have the right to live here.

The Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon

(9 August 2001, Iranian TV in Persian )

“There is no doubt that Israel's existence and behavior are explicitly opposed to Iran's national interests.”

Deputy Head of the International Center for Intercultural Dialogue, Mohammad Sadeq

(23 April 2002, ISNA )

During a conference in Tehran on the subject of “Presentation of Iranian Policy towards Palestine” he stated that “the fascist and racist ruling apparatus in Israel which causes riots in Arab states must be destroyed. He claims that Israel's disintegration will bring strengthen the security of the region.

Head of International Affairs in the Iranian Leader's Bureau and former Foreign Minister, Velayati

( Iranian TV ,

13 April 2002)

Velayati called for the suicide attacks to continue and emphasized that “the greatest harm to Israel is to destroy its security, since, unlike in the first Intifada, the suicide attacks can take place in the 1948 territories, which makes Israel afraid… the Intifada results in immigration from Israel, which is a countdown towards the end of the Israeli regime”.

The Leader's Adviser for International Affairs, Akhtari

In a conference on the subject of the Intifada

(10 January 2001, ISNA )

“ Iran will never and under no circumstances recognize Israel's right to exist . Israel with all its might and Satanic methods, will not be able to prevent the Palestinian people from continuing its Intifada.”

Secretary General of the Islamic Coalition Party, Habiballah Asgar-Oladi

At the end of an Islamic Coalition Association Secretaries meeting
(4 December 2001, ISNA )

“Every day, the Zionists hear in their cities – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities of Palestine – the explosions of the Islamic rage. The day is not far when, whether they want to or not, the Zionists have to run for their lives! No regime can exist for long based on exploitation, oppression and occupation.”

Janeti, Friday sermon in Tehran

(1 March 2002)

On the occasion of the Shi'ite feast of Ghadir-Ham, he requested Allah to bring about the death of Prime Minister Sharon or US President Bush “in any possible way”, due to their responsibility for the death of many Palestinians and in order to “bring joy to our grieving hearts”.

Ayatollah Kashani, Friday Sermon in Tehran

(27 July 2001, IRNA )

“If the entire Islamic nation continues to adhere to the principles of prayer, the Zionist regime could not continue to withstand the world of Islam… death to the Zionist culture! The Zionists oppress the Palestinians with their wild fists, and then wonder why Iran swears by Palestine… I urge upon you today not to fear their weapons! They are the ones that fear you!”

Head of the “Holy Fund and Islamic Revolution- ary Martyrs, Hujat Al-Islam Rahimiyan

(11 October 2003, ISNA )

“We must act in the spirit of the words of the Imam Khomeini regarding the liquidation of Israel, the achievement of this goal is certainly possible.

Iranian propaganda

(15 May 2003)

‘Al Jamhuri Islami' newspaper

“The future belongs to Islam and the future of Palestine belongs to Islam and to the Palestinians… the Zionist regime is destined to perish”.

(18 May 2002)

‘Al Jamhuri Islami' newspaper

“The genuine representatives of the Palestinian people must present the policy of the Imam Khomeini, namely that Israel should be erased from the map.

(4 March 2002)

‘Al Jamhuri Islami' newspaper

The paper strongly attacked the Saudi peace initiative (“grinding water”) and claimed that it was the sale plan of Israeli ownership over Palestine, whose goal was to extinguish the flames of the Intifada, rescue the Zionist regime from its crisis and pave the way for the recognition of Israel and consolidate its existence. According to the writer of the report, this plan is a return to the plan of Fahd (then the crown prince) in the ‘80s, but the present circumstances are different and the crown prince must “search for the difference in the Intifada and in the new Islamic spirit beating amongst the Palestinians”. In conclusion, he argued that the Palestine issue has only one solution, and that is the solution which the Imam Khomeini raised at the time – wiping Israel off the map – and any other plan which is raised and does not include this point, is doomed to failure.

(14 August 2001)

‘Al Jamhuri Islami' newspaper

“Since the events in occupied Palestine broke out, the sound of the death bell began to ring loudly, announcing stronger than ever the dying of Israel . Only a few days have passed since the Prime Minister of the Zionist criminal government warned that in response to the next suicide attack, Israel will recapture the entire PA territories and make Jerusalem Jewish, and behold: another explosion has struck Israel, leaving the Israeli government dumbfounded… more and more political analysts can observe now the weakness and predicament of the Zionist conqueror government… never in any of the wars they had initiated have the Zionists sounded so terrified and helpless… the countdown has started, and the day is not far when we shall rise to discover that Iran's ideology has come true and the Zionist regime with all its sins has been removed from the pages of history ”.

(24 July 2001)

Keyhan International

“The Arab World will not stand idle while such crimes are being committed; it is hoped that the Islamic leaders will consider Khomeini's words that Israel must be wiped off the Middle East map. This must be done before it is too late”.

(28 May 2001, Tehran Radio in Arabic )

“World, stop speaking! UN, do not convene! Say nothing and make no condemnation! All of you criminals! We are not calling you, because you took part in the crime of creating the cancerous entity. Our people! Overcome your pains! Then move on! Continue with your fire! Go ahead in your volcanic revolution! Cast your flaming lava so that the enemy will know the pains you know… these comparisons are intended to prove the world's bias… this regime must stop, and now the deeds must say their word… may each of the deprived and the oppressed become a bomb! ”

Commentary

(2 November 2001, Tehran Radio in Arabic )

“…We say to the Zionists who live in a state of fear: you will pay the price of following the Zionist leaders who led you astray and urged you to immigrate to Palestine… we say to you: if you wish to save yourselves from death, save your souls and achieve security, you must leave our homes and return to the place where you came from. Go back to your homelands and leave our homeland to us – this is the only equation that could buy you security, i.e. justice and the end of our people's deprivation. If not – there will be no security for the occupiers of Palestine.”

(9 March 2002, Tehran radio in Arabic )

“The disappearance of the Zionist entity is the only just and possible solution.

(3 March 2002)

Reformist press

In an especially exceptional article due to its anti-Semitic tone (with emphasis on Holocaust denial), the Iranian Students News Agency (which tends towards the reformist stream), raised 66 questions and answers on the subject of “murder of the Jews by the Nazis” which is exploited by the Zionists in order to create an “oppressed and poor” image. The declared goal of the article is to portray the Jewish Holocaust as “one of the greatest lies in history”, by presenting the unreliability of subjects such as the murder of the six million, the death camps and gas chambers. In this framework, the article claims that there is no unequivocal evidence of the burning of bodies and the number of Jews murdered by the Nazis; as well as the existence of gas chambers in Auschwitz which did not serve as a death camp.

It is stressed that this article, presented by the reformist camp, joins other articles published regularly in the Iranian media – until now in the conservative media only – and deal with Holocaust denial while giving a wide stage to the views of “well known” Holocaust deniers.

   
   
 
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