(Iranian) Volunteer Suicide Bombers Seek to Attack Israel

[tekisui]

Source: AP

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Hard-line Iranian student groups have appealed to the government to authorize volunteer suicide bombers to leave Iran and fight against Israel in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had not responded to the call by Wednesday. Five hard-line student groups and a conservative clerical group launched a registration drive on Monday, seeking volunteers to carry out suicide attacks against Israel.

"Volunteer student suicide groups ... are determined to go to Gaza. You are expected to issue orders to the relevant authorities in order to pave the way for such action," the students advised Ahmadinejad in an open letter, a copy of which was made available to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Volunteer suicide groups have made similar moves in the past and the government never responded to their calls. However, some hard-liners have claimed they successfully but secretly left Iran and carried out attacks against Israel. Their claims could not be verified.

The hard-liners started signing up volunteers after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious decree on Sunday that said anyone killed while defending Palestinians in Gaza against Israeli attacks would be considered a martyr.

In a speech Tuesday, Ahmadinejad called for the trial of Israeli leaders on charges of massacring Palestinians in Gaza. His comments come a day after Iran's judiciary set up a court to try Israeli leaders for such "crimes."

Iran considers Israel its archenemy and Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." Iran also is Hamas' main backer, though Tehran denies sending weapons to the Islamic militant Palestinian group that took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g3Y3DBA09cm20SrlOg47GI4Ixp4gD95DMUK80

[chucktaylor]

1. Let them live-fire practice first.

[GoesTo11]

8. Excellent suggestion.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. "Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be 'wiped off the map.'"

*sigh* This is NOT what Ahmadinekook said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/jun/14/post155

Besides, Ahmadinekook is on his way out - even the Iranians think he's a nut.

[oberliner]

4. It was translated that way by the official Iranian state-run news agency

But I don't want to rehash the translation debate - wipe off the map, vanish from the pages of time, whatever.

And he is not on his way out - he is most likely going to be elected President for another five years. He has the backing of the Supreme Leader who does call all the shots in Iran.

[Statistical]

5. Not only that is was never refuted by Iran.

Say Obama made a statement and it was mistranslated as "Obama believes that Israel has the right to push Palestinians off the map".

As soon as it was misreported, there would be statements from state dept showing the mistranslation, requesting retractions, stories running about the issue, etc.

It has been years. Nothing from Iran in form of retraction. The translation stands.

[Dennis Donovan]

7. Why retract a misinterpretation?

:shrug:

[Statistical]

9. Ask Obama (or any politician, diplomat, CEO, or other public offical)

How many times did the Obama campaign have to correct misinterpretations and mischaracterizations during the campaign? Guess they should have just stayed quiet. After all it as McCain camp that made the "mistake".

You and I know it is very common in politics and diplomacy to have statements corrected to ensure the accurate message is getting out.

If Iran though the "wipe Israel off the map" was inaccurate they would have pointed it out at least once.
The chose NOT to correct it.

[Dennis Donovan]

13. Can you point be to an independent source that says Iran acknowledged the "wipe off the map" quote..

...as accurate?

The speech was independently translated. It's in the article I posted.

[Statistical]

19. I never claimed the reported it as factual. They point is they DID indicate it is incorrect.

It would be like me calling you a racist or .

Which would you do:
1) Nothing. Even if media picks up my story. You just keep remaining quiet and allow it to be reported around the world you are a racist.

OR
2) Say "that isn't correct".

Most people would take your silence to indicate you agree with the assessment that you are a racist. It isn't a stretch for most people to conclude that if you were NOT then you would say something to that effect.

Iran INACTION indicates their intent. The story has been carried around the world in Western, Israeli, and Arab media outlets. Iran remains quiet. Not ONE TIME saying something to the contrary.

[LeftishBrit]

11. Because most people don't like to be misinterpreted - especially if it could put them in a bad light

But even supposing that this statement *was* misinterpreted, it was hardly an isolated one. Ahmadinejad and other Iranian politicians have made plenty of statements to the effect that they would like the 'Zionist entity' not to exist. I am totally against attacking Iran, but that does not mean that their leaders should all be regarded as sweet pacifists.

[Vegasaurus]

12. Their leaders have said many times what they really think about their goals for the "Zionist entity"

we all know what they mean.

[Dennis Donovan]

14. No one is indentifying Iran's leaders as pacifists...

...the question is whether they are planning to "wipe Israel off the map."

[Dennis Donovan]

6. I guess you didn't read the article I linked to...

's okay.

[oberliner]

17. I've read it and debated it ad infinitum

Jonathan Steele and Juan Cole's position on the topic have been duly noted.

We can debate it again if you want.

First of all, his point about "the regime occupying Jerusalem" is BS because Iran only ever refers to Israel that way. It has nothing to do with "regime change". He does not prefer a different Israeli governing coalition. He has made it clear that he wants Israel as a country not to exist and to replaced by a Palestinian state.

Second, he may not have used the word "map" but that does not mean that the idiomatic expression he used in Persian best translates word for word into English. If an American announced that someone had "passed away" and it was translated that the person "died peacefully" would you be arguing that neither the word "died" not "peacefully" appeared anywhere in the original English?

The Iranian News Agency made the translation at the time and published it in English. This article cites that a representative later said they might have changed it to "eliminated from the page of history" which is not especially different from "wiped off the map" - they both mean that it should be removed from existence. (Even Steele acknowledges that "wiped" is not that different from "eliminated")

[Statistical]

3. Didn't they get the memo.

The security barrier has all but ended suicide attacks in Israel hence the reason Hamas relies more on rocket attacks.

Unless Israel suddenly begins issuing a large number of Visas to angry students from unfriendly nations who happen to be wearing bulky clothing then I think they will be ok.

I mean didn't they ever think why there are so few suicide attacks coming from Gaza & West Bank which are litterraly 0 miles from the Israeli border? Yet they think suicide attacks from 1200km away will be more successful.

[Vegasaurus]

10. The wall has saved hundreds of lives

It was a very important security measure.

[azurnoir]

15. Didn't something similar happen in 2006?

They did not get out of Iran then and I doubt they will now, but do enjoy yourselves wih the fantasy.

[tekisui]

16. Who is enjoying this as a fantasy?

:puke:

[azurnoir]

18. Read the thread

some here are albeit it is semi skillfully worded there are some here that for who this somehow makes israel "look" better more like a victim of pan-Muslim aggression than the aggressor

[Rhiannon12866]

20. Iran would have defeated Iraq in the '80s, if the US hadn't given aid to Iraq.

Iran much more populous than Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq war, they came in wave after wave, keys to the kingdom around their necks, eager to be martyred. This would be a bloodbath and ignite the entire region... :scared: