‘Wipe off the map': The Tip of an Iceberg

A strategy for the falsification of the statements of Iran’s president


"Iran's talk of destroying Israel must not be lost in translation." That is the header of an article in the 'Jerusalem Post' by Joshua Teitelbaum of the 'Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs' [1] on 22 June 2008. If the assertion that Iran wanted to destroy Israel (with an atom bomb) “be lost“, then - so we have to conclude - a threat scenario, built up with great effort, would collapse and a war against Iran would lose all legitimation. For this reason, Joshua Teitelbaum is sounding the alarm [2] [3] [4]. His statements are a essential part of the Israeli reactions to the revelation of the fact that alleged statements of Iran’s president are the result of a falsifying translation.

Still at the centre of the threat scenario is the alleged statement of Iran’s president of 26/10/2005 saying Iran wanted to wipe Israel off the map, wanted to raze Israel to the ground (with the atom bomb). We have often proven that this alleged statement originates from a falsification and that Iran’s president has actually given expression to his expectation that the regime occupying Jerusalem - the Zionist regime as he often calls it - will disappear. To insinuate that the Iranian president wanted to destroy Israel – and thus the Jews – is – and that cannot be emphasised enough – as though you wanted to assert that the demand for the end of the Apartheid regime was the same as demanding the destruction of South Africa.

Numerous media in Germany have admitted the error, including two news agencies: ap and dpa. afp at least sees an error in the use of the term “map“. Wilm Herlyn, chief editor of dpa, wrote on 13 June 2008: "The dpa will, in the future, pay attention in reporting to the fact that Iran’s president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, did not demand the destruction of Israel or its being wiped off the map." Also the 'Süddeutsche Zeitung', 'Spiegel Online', the NDR (in particular the 'tagesschau.de') and the ZDF have admitted the error. The chairman of the ZDF assures that all colleagues of his establishment have been informed about this occurrence and will, in the future, take the correct translation into consideration.

On 1 June 2008, the cabaret artist, Georg Schramm, alias Lieutenant Colonel Sanftleben, draws attention in the ZDF programme “News from the (Mental) Institution“ to the incorrect translation and assesses it as part of the propaganda for a war in which at first Iran is to be attacked by Israel and then to be caught in a pincher via the two neighbouring countries already brought under control, Iraq and Afghanistan, all this with the ultimate goal of appropriating resources such as oil and gas. And then he comes to a decisive statement: "This sentence [which Iran’s president actually formulated] is, according to international law, a fully correct demand. A few weeks ago, the Catholic bishops expressed themselves even more drastically about Israel’s ghetto policies". The end of a condition contrary to international law, as it has arisen since 1948 with the expulsion and exclusion of the Palestine population step by step, is an objective which must speak from the heart of every human who is interested in peace.


Iran has no plans to attack Israel

Again and again the argumentation crops up that there has to be something in the (falsely reproduced) statements of the Iranian president as he does not raise any objection to the falsification. Such an assertion is clearly false. “Iran has no plans to attack Israel”. That is what Iran's president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, said on 08/07/2008 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, where he participated in the summit of the Group of Islamic Developing Countries [5] [6]. He thus answers the question as to whether the Iran intended to destroy Israel and annihilate the Jewish people. He added: "The Zionists accuse us of preparations for a possible attack. But that is a lie. The Iranian nation has never in her history attacked anyone."

In an interview with the Italian television RAI, during his stay in Rome at the beginning of June 2008, he was confronted with the statement, he had on several occasions reinforced the thesis that Israel was doomed “to vanish from the surface of the world“ and was then asked: "Do you not think that this position contributes in any way towards Iran being isolated from the international community?" To this he answered, amongst other things: "What I said about the Zionist regime was, above all, an announcement. What I announced was that this regime will soon dissolve and collapse." [7] [8]

Only four days after the speech of the Iranian president, into which the ”map“ quote was foisted, it was Ayatollah Khamenei, who refuted the false accusations and clarified that there was no intention on the part of Iran to attack Israel with atomic weapons. He criticised the 'tumult' which has been staged in connection with the speech of the Iranian president on 26/10/2005: "The influence of the Zionists on the western and European states unfortunately causes such tumult. And then they also exploit the opportunity to link it up to an ‘atom energy problem’! That ignoramus who said this for the first time […], has not understood at all that the atom weapon is not fit for eliminating governments and systems and regimes: Systems and regimes do not disappear with the [help] of the atom weapon; the atom weapon can only destroy people and swathes of land.“ With this, Khamenei makes it more than clear that the disappearance of a regime and the destruction of a country are two different things – that the second lies completely outside his world of thought. Similar to Ahmadinejad, Khamenei predicts the "collapse of the Zionist regime" [9] [10].

It is not possible to see it other than the deliberate suppression of information when such clarifications are not reported.


Iran yearns for the end of an illegal status

Another reaction with which we have been confronted several times consists of the indication to reports of the Iran news agency IRNA, which is said to use the phrasing 'wipe off the map' itself. This indication is correct inasmuch as it is true that IRNA has indeed used this wording on its English-language service – even if only rarely, possibly only one single time. The assertion is, however, wrong that this wording corresponds to that which was actually said.

The IRNA release of 03/06/2008 quotes Iran’s president as having said: "...the Zionist regime, which is a usurpational and illegal regime and a cancerous growth, has to be wiped off the map." And: "...the Zionist regime is moving towards its absolute end … the corrupt element will be wiped off the map." [11] These are two sentences from statements which would have to be correctly given as follows: "Oh dear Imam [= Khomeini], You had [once] deigned to say, “that the Zionist regime is a usurpational and illegal regime and a cancerous growth, which must vanish from the page of time. Today, I submit to you respectfully [my answer]: This illuminating and path-breaking speech and this, your yearning, are on the threshold of carrying fruit: The Zionist regime has given the philosophy for its existence away (....) The Zionist regime is in an absolute cul-de-sac and your wish (Imam Khomeini) will soon become reality and this seed of vitiation will disappear." [12] That is, of course, not a homage to Israel but it is not the threat of a destructive strike (by means of an atom bomb). Iran’s president yearns with clear words for the end of an illegal status.

Further, we have to see: The incorrect “map“ quote from the speech of 26/10/2005 is then just the tip of an iceberg. It all looks like a deliberately developed strategy within the framework of which statements of the Iranian president are again and again misrepresented. Let’s take a few examples.

‘Wave of moral’ becomes ‘strike wave’

In reports of tagesschau.de of 26 and 27/10/2005, the following quotes are made from the speech of 26/10/2005: "There are no doubts: The new wave of attacks in Palestine will blot out the stigma in the visage of the Islamic world." [13] [14] The languages service of the German Bundestag translates it, however, as follows: "I do not doubt that the new wave which has begun in beloved Palestine and which we see today in the Islamic world, is a wave of morals. It has grasped the whole Islamic world and will very soon eliminate the blot from the lap of the Islamic world." [19] The wave of morals thus becomes a wave of (terror) attacks. This is also an irresponsible falsification which has to be regarded as malicious.

‘Decaying’ becomes ‘destruction’

On 14/04/2006, Iran’s president compares, according to IRNA, the "Zionist regime" with a decaying, rotten tree which will fall with the next storm [15]. 'abcnews' turns this into “Iran Leader: Israel Will Be Annihilated" [16] and afp "The Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejad has threatened the State of Israel with destruction.” The Jewish state was “on the way to destruction’".

‘Disappearing’ becomes ‘annihilation’

On 12/12/2006, the Iranian president said, according to IRNA: "As the Soviet Union disappeared, the Zionist regime will also vanish and humanity will be liberated." [17] With ap this becomes: "Ahmadinejad: Israel will be annihilated as once the Soviet Union".

‘Decay’ becomes ‘destruction’

Bahman Nirumand draws attention in the June 2008 edition of the Iran Report to the fact that Iran’s president Mahmud Ahmadinejad had said on 14 May 2008 that the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of Israel’s existence would not preserve the state from its ‘decay’. This term was translated in parts of the German press by ‘destruction' or ‘death’. [18]

‘Deign to say’ becomes ‘order’

In a paper, which is being forcefully disseminated to the public, Joshua Teitelbaum of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs’ concerns himself with statements by the Iranian president. He gives the whole procession of false translations of the “map“ quote quite a new turn. He makes the Imam ‘order’, "that this Jerusalem-occupying regime must be erased from the page of time." [2] - there, where it should correctly read: "Our dear Imam [Khomeini] deigned to say, the regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the annals of history." Teitelbaum’s wording "order, that ... must ..." is even purely grammatically wrong. What Joshua Teitelbaum of the 'Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs' fables, sounds like the recorded deployment command for a campaign of destruction. It is a malicious innuendo of a different type. ‘To deign to say’ is not 'to order'. It is a traditional expression of respect towards persons held in high esteem or reverence.

Holocaust denial?

Also in respect of the assertion the Iranian president would deny the Holocaust, everything speaks for the fact that this accusation is not true. Mahmud Ahmadinejad puts the crimes of Israel, the Holocaust against the Palestinian population – as he calls it with sharp words – into the focal point of his observations. The formulation that the ‘massacre of the Jews’ was a ‘‚fairy tale’ – as often spread about – originates from a (maliciously) false translation. Ahmadinedschad speaks about the myth which was created in connection with the Holocaust for the legitimation of new crimes.


Federal Central Office for Political Education falsifies again

The Federal Central Office for Political Education (bpb), which, for a long time, had introduced its so-called “Anti-Semitism Dossier“ first of all (up to April 2008) with the sentence “With his statement, that he wanted to wipe Israel off the map” Iran’s president Mahmud Ahmadinejad provided in October 2005 worldwide for outrage” and was then forced to take leave from this incorrect assertion, now has replaced it with a new false assertion: "Iran’s president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, provides again and again for sensation through his Israel-hostile and anti-Semitic statements. Sometimes he threatens the country, as in his speech at the conference ‘A World without Zionism' in October 2005: 'This phase will not take long and when we shall have successfully put it behind us, the elimination of the Zionist regime will be smooth and simple', sometimes he describes ...'" [19] [22]

Here also a statement is generated through falsification. In actual fact, the statement of the Iranian president would have to be rendered as follows: "This is a short phase. When we shall have successfully put it behind us, then – God willing – the process of disappearance of the regime occupying al-Qods [= the Holy, Jerusalem] and the setting up of the national government of Palestine will be a smooth and simple one." [21]

There is a serious problem in the fact that the basis of the translation prepared by the languages service of the German Bundestag is the speech as given at ISNA [20]. This version contains only extracts with bridging comments and gives especially the passage under review here only incompletely. The passage ‘Setting up of the national government of Palestine’ is missing in the ISNA version. This results from a comparison with the version furnished with a copyright endorsement as it was available for a long time on the web site president.ir. It is therefore misleading when the Federal Central Office for Political Education heads its page containing the speech with "Wording of the Controversial Speech of Ahmadinejad.' It thus wrongly suggests that it concerns here the complete original speech. All speaks for the fact that the languages service of the German Bundestag and/or the Federal Central Office for Political Education which commissioned the translation, did not research the source situation at all.


‘Threat situation’ stood on its head

To outline it once again clearly: There are apparently circles in Israel, the United States and other allied countries which have an increased interest in an attack on Iran. The falsifications of statements of Iran’s president are to be seen in this context. These falsifications are serving the goal to stand the threat situation on its head. The potential perpetrator presents himself as victim which is threatened by an "atomic Holocaust'. That party, which is actually threatened by an (atomic) attack is meant to be put forward as the perpetrator. That is what it is all about.


(Thanks for indications, translation, linguistic analyses and support of various types: A. Schmidt, Katajun Amirpur, Sabine Schiffer, Dieter Keiner, Bahman Nirumand, Armin Fiand und Thomas Immanuel Steinberg)


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Abbreviations:

afp: Agence France Presse
ap: Associated Press
bpb: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Central Office for Political Education - close to german government)
dpa: Deutsche Presseagentur (german news agency)
NDR: Norddeutscher Rundfunk (german TV- and Radio-station - one of the broadcast stations producing the TV programme 'Das Erste - The First', responsible for the news broadcast 'Tagesschau' and the corresponding website 'tagesschau.de')
ZDF: Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (german TV-station - the second in the history of german TV)

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Links:

[1] "Iran's talk of destroying Israel must not be lost in translation" - Joshua Teitelbaum, Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, 'Jerusalem Post', 22/06/2008
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1213794295236&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[2] "The Iranian leaders in their own words about the annihilation of Israel: a plea against apologetic campaigns to exculpate the call for genocide" – German-language publication of the 'Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs' by Joshua Teitelbaum, 03/07/2008:
 http://jer-zentrum.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=154

[3] "What Iranian leaders really say about doing away with Israel: a refutation of the campaign to excuse Ahmadinejad’s incitement to genocide" – English-language publication of the 'Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs' by Joshua Teitelbaum, 2008:
www.jcpa.org/text/ahmadinejad2-words.pdf

[4] Self-presentation of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs:
www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=84&FID=253&PID=369

[5] “Iran does not intend to wipe out Israel” – release from PressTV, 08/07/2008:
www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=62989§ionid=351020101

[6] “Ahmadinedschad expects Israel’s self-destruction” – release from RIA Novosti, 08.07.2008:
de.rian.ru/world/20080708/113531866.html

[7] Italian-language transcript of the interviews of the Italian television channel RAI with Mahmud Ahmadinejad during his stay in Rome, beginning of June 2008:
italian.irib.ir/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3182&Itemid=92

[8] Video record of the interview of the Italian television channel RAI with Mahmud Ahmadinejad during his stay in Rome, beginning of June 2008:
www.rai.tv/mpplaymedia/0,,News%5E0%5E91917,00.html

[9] Farsi-language report on the speech of Chamenei of 30/10/2005:
www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=contentShow&id=2818

[10] Farsi-language, complete reproduction of the speech of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on 30/10/2005 (8. Aban 1384):
www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=bayanat&id=2818

[11] English-language IRNA release of 03/06/2008 about statements of Ahmadinejad on 02/06/2008 – with the phrasing 'wipe off the map':
www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-17/0806031049094727.htm

[12] Farsi-language reproduction of statements of Ahmadinejad on 2/06/2008 in the newpaper 'Roozname-ye hamvatan salam':
www.hamvatansalam.com/news104512.html

[13] "Wipe off the map – Iran’s President demands the destruction of Israel” – release from tagesschau.de of 26/10/2005 23:02 Uhr:
www.tagesschau.de/ausland/meldung154160.html

[14] "Wipe off the map – Iran’s President demands the destruction of Israel” – release from tagesschau.de of 27/10/2005 08:07 Uhr:
www.tagesschau.de/ausland/meldung154146.html

[15] "The Zionist regime is a decaying and crumbling tree that will fall with a storm." – Iran’s president at the third international Jerusalem conference for the support of the rights of the Palestine people on 14/04/2006 in Tehran according to IRNA
www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-17/0604141214202410.htm

[16] "Iran Leader: Israel Will Be Annihilated" – Title of an ap news based release by abcnews regarding the speech of the Iranian president on 14/04/206:
abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1843031

[17] "Just as the Soviet Union disappeared, the Zionist regime will also vanish and humanity will be liberated." – Statement of the Iranian president on 12/12/2006 according to IRNA
www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-17/0612123499223325.htm

[18] Iran report Nr. 06/2008
www.boell.de/audio/presse/iran-report06_08.pdf

[19] Antisemitism dossier of the German Federal Central Office for Political Education in the version from the end of April 2008:
www.bpb.de/themen/GX51KQ,0,0,Antisemitismus.html

[20] Speech of the Iranian president of 26/10/2005 as given by ISNA (Iranian Students Association):
www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-603209

[21] Speech of the Iranian president of 26/10/2005 as reproduced with the note 'Copyright 2006 Presidency of The Islamic Republic of Iran' on the web site of the president (there, at present, not available, but on the website of Dr. Y. Schmidt):
www.uni-graz.at/yvonne.schmidt/840804sahyonizm.htm

[22] Speech of the Iranian president of 26/10/2005 as translated by the languages service of the German Bundestag on the basis of the ISNA version, available on the web site of the Federal Central Office for Political Education:
www.bpb.de/themen/MK6BD2.html


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The text in german:

 http://www.arbeiterfotografie.com/iran/index-iran-0037.html

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