Stop repeating lies

Dear Sir, ON September 1, Monitor writes, “Ahmadinejad's stated ambition to ‘wipe Israel off the map.” How many times does a Zionist lie have to be refuted before it ceases to be the basis of ‘analysis' and even policy? Put his canard to rest. The Iranian leader never used the words map or wiped out. This has been shown by Jonathan Steele of the Guardian, Professor Juan Cole, and even the language service MEMRI run by former Israeli intelligence officers. All Ahmadinejad said of Israel was that this too shall pass. A literal translation would be, “This regime that is occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time.” He was referring to the racist administration of the government of Israel not any inhabitants of the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan. Many believe that the only hope for peace in the Levant requires a secular state where all residents have equal civil rights. Ahmadinejad's statement is consistent with this approach and traditional Iranian policy, which under the late Shah sold oil to the Jewish state. To falsely equate a call for justice, and the pious belief that justice prevails in the end, with a bloodthirsty cry for genocide is hateful in the extreme. Boston, MA USA