What Game is Ahmadinejad Playing Today?

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Ahmadinejad Talks Peace While Ignoring Record of Terrorism, Nuclear Ambitions and Speaks about Tranquility Despite Previous Threats to 'Wipe Israel off the Map'

In a speech tonight before the United Nations' 61st General Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly masked his violent intentions with messages of peace, justice and human dignity.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism, has an international trail of terror that ranges from backing groups that killed U.S. Marines and financing Hezbollah and other radical groups to training youth for suicide attacks across the globe.

Ahmadinejad also used his Tuesday night address to attack other countries for possessing nuclear weaponry, citing their "unbridled expansion of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons" despite the fact that Iran is currently in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1696 , which requires that Iran halt its uranium enrichment activities and is the only nation in the world that has called for the complete annihilation of another country .

Iran has refused to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors limited access to its nuclear development facilities and refused to reveal the extent of its nuclear enrichment program. Nevertheless, Ahmadinejad told the General Assembly, "All our nuclear activities are transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eyes of IAEA inspectors."

His comments came as no surprise to Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project, who cautioned, "The world has seen the likes of him before. But there is a saying: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.' We refuse to be fooled by a dangerous nuclear-seeking leader who simultaneously denies one genocide while trying to create another. Ahmadinejad's flowery language is a ruse to try to run the clock while he works to achieve his dangerous nuclear ambitions."

"The President of Iran took the stage dressed like Regis and spoke as smoothly as Maya Angelou. However, his stated goals include wiping Israel off the map and triggering a global apocalypse so that Islam can dominate the world. It is imperative that the world use strong sanctions today, so we can avoid military conflicts tomorrow. Peace is critical for the Middle East and the world and strong actions today are critical to protecting America tomorrow."

Numerous seats were vacant during Ahmadinejad's 30-minute address, in which he called for the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the African continent to have permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, with veto privileges.

He also called once again for the return of the 12th Imam, "the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet," Ahmadinejad said in his speech, adding, "Make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause." In order for the 12th Imam, or Mahdi, to return, there will first have to be a period of chaos, war and bloodshed that Ahmadinejad feels it is his duty to trigger.

Ahmadinejad focused heavily on Israel, seeking to rewrite history by referring to it as a country created "Under the pretext of protecting some of the survivors of that [the Second Word] War" and "placed under the control of some of the war survivors."

He failed to mention that close to a million Jews were made refugees when they were forced to leave their homes and communities behind in the Arab and Muslim world since Israel's establishment. More than half of Israel's Jewish population either came to Israel as refugees from Arab states or are children of Jews pushed out of Muslim nations. [1]

Ahmadinejad has repeatedly denied the Holocaust and suggested Israel be moved to Europe, prompting a condemnation by the U.N. Security Council. [2] Ahmadinejad also has called for Israel's destruction. Ahmadinejad's comments are consistent with those of other Iranian leaders such as Ahmadinejad advisor, Mohammad Ali Ramin, who said, "So long as Israel exists in the region...there will never be peace and security in the Middle East. So the resolution of the Holocaust issue will end in the destruction of Israel." [3]

Last year, during a previous address to the United Nations General Assembly, Ahmadinejad also called for the reemergence of the 12th Imam, [4]. After the speech, the Iranian president said, "One of our group told me that, when I started to say 'In the name of God, the almighty, the merciful', he saw a light around me and I was placed inside this aura. I felt it myself. I felt the atmosphere suddenly change and, for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink." [5]

"I am not exaggerating when I say they did not blink; it's not an exaggeration, because I was looking," he said. "They were astonished as if a hand held them there and made them sit. It had opened their eyes and ears for the message of the Islamic Republic." [6]

Ahmadinejad has made numerous statements about his intentions to spark the apocalypse that would bring about the 12th Imam, saying, "We must prepare ourselves to rule the world and the only way to do that is to put forth views on the basis of the Expectation of Return [the return of the Mahdi]." [7]

Since taking power a year ago, Ahmadinejad hasn't hidden his hatred towards the West. He has frequently condemned Europe and the United States, making comments such as, "America seems so big, but in fact is like a paper tiger - even the slightest tremor could easily make it crumple and disappear." [8]

In addition to being in violation of U.N. Security Council 1696, Iran has a long history of human rights abuses and finances terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad at a rate of about $200 million annually. [9] It also has recruited more than 40,000 youths to carry out suicide operations around the world. [10] Ahmadinejad has boasted that divine powers gave him the presidency so that he could provoke a "clash of civilizations" in which the Muslim world, led by Iran, would defeat the West, led by the United States, in a slow, prolonged contest. [11]

Ahmadinejad has vowed that his country will pursue its nuclear program and share the technology with other Muslim countries. Iran has the capacity to hit European countries with its BM-25 surface-to-surface missiles that it received in April from North Korea. The missiles, which have a range of 1,550 miles, can carry nuclear warheads. [12]

President Bush, in his speech before the General Assembly earlier today, insisted that Iran put an end to its pursuit of nuclear weapons. "The United Nations has passed a clear resolution requiring that the regime in Tehran meet its international obligations," Bush said. "Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions."

Ahmadinejad arrived Monday in New York City for a three-day visit to participate in the U.N. General Assembly. [13] Iran is a member of the international body. [14] His visit is part of an international tour that began Sept. 13 in Senegal, followed by stops in Cuba and Venezuela. In Cuba, he took part in a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Ahmadinejad's controversial visit was greeted by greeted by hundreds of angry protesters, including a number of Iranians, in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the U.N., chanting slogans such as "Ahmadinejad is a terrorist." Some were dressed as skeletons and carried skulls on sticks which they said represented the deaths of 120,000 political prisoners in Iran since 1979. One protester held a sign that read, "Stop Mullahs' nukes. U.N. Sanctions Now." [15]

On Wednesday, thousands of demonstrators from Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, led by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and including The Israel Project are expected to stage a demonstration against Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad also praised Hezbollah after it abducted two Israeli soldiers and killed seven others while blanketing dozens of Israeli towns with rockets July 12. The attacks began a 34-day war, [16] during which Hezbollah fired almost 4,000 missiles into Israel from Lebanon. A day before Hezbollah carried out the kidnapping and assaults, Ahmadinejad said on television, "The rage of the Muslim peoples will not be restricted to the boundaries of our region... The waves of the explosion... will reach the corrupt forces [i.e. the Western countries] which support this fake regime." [17] While waging war on Israel, Hezbollah's arsenal included missiles made and supplied by Iran during its attacks on Israel.

Footnotes

[1] Beker, Avi, "The Forgotten Narrative: Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries," Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Web site, accessed Sept. 19, 2006, http://www.jcpa.org/jpsr/jpsr-beker-f05.htm
[2] "U.N. Condemns Iran Holocaust Remarks," CNN, Dec. 10, 2005, http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/10/iran.israel/index.html

[3] Shareie, Shervin, "Presidential Aide: Jewish People Are Historically Accused of Corruption," Rooz Special Report, June 9, 2006, http://www.roozonline.com/english/015942.shtml

[4] Manji, Irshad, "Armageddon? Great, bring it on," The Times (London), May 1, 2006

[5] Moore, Charles, "There's method in the Mahdi madness of Iran's president," The Daily Telegraph (London), Jan. 14, 2006

[6] Esfandiari, Golnaz, "Iran: President Says Light Surrounded Him During UN Speech," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , Nov. 29, 2005, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/11/184cb9fb-887c-4696-8f54-0799df747a4a.html

[7] "Iran's Ahmadinejad: Sharon dead and 'others to follow suit," Iran Focus, Jan. 5, 2006, http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5166

[8] "Iranian Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai: 'America is Like a Paper Tiger - Even the Slightest Tremor Could Easily," Middle East Media Research Institute Special Dispatch No. 1189, June 21, 2006, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP118906

[9] O'Toole, Pam, "Rice: Iran is terrorism 'banker'," BBC News, Feb. 17, 2006, accessed July 7, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4722498.stm

[10] "Iran's new president glorifies martyrdom," Middle East Media Research Institute, Special Dispatch No. 945, July 29, 2005, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP94505

[11] Taheri, Amir, "The frightening truth of why Iran wants a bomb," The Daily Telegraph, April 16, 2006

[12] "Israel: Iran Missiles Can Carry Nukes, Hit Europe," Associated Press via FoxNews.com, April 27, 2006, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193343,00.html

[13] "Ahmadinejad to kick off international tour in Senegal," Agence France-Presse, Sept. 11, 2006

[14] Dreazen, Yochi J., "No Bush-Ahmadinejad Run-Ins at U.N.," Washington Wire/Wall Street Journal Online, Sept. 7, 2006, http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2006/09/07/avoiding-personal-conflicts-at-un/

[15] Dobnik, Verena, "Thousands demonstrate against Iraq war and against Iran," The Associated Press, Sept. 19, 2006

[16] Lake, Eli, "Big Protest Rally Taking Shape to Greet Ahmadinejad at U.N.," New York Sun, Sept. 8, 2006, http://www.nysun.com/article/39308

[17] "Iran and the Recent Escalation on Israel's Borders," Middle East Media Research Institute, Special Dispatch No. 1204, July 13, 2006, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP120406

Source: The Israel Project

alan@newsblaze.com