Slip of the Lip?

Israel's ownership of Nukes shouldn't be much of a surprise. Funny how Olmert's comments are causing such a stir.

"Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map," Olmert said. "Can you say that this is the same level, when you are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"

Israel's newspapers reported the remark Tuesday under front-page headlines, one calling it a "nuclear slip of the lip."

Olmert's office said the quote was taken out of context and that he had been listing "responsible nations," not nuclear states. Aides also noted that the prime minister had refused several times during the interview to confirm that Israel has nuclear weapons and that he had spoken in English, not his native language.

Regardless, his critics pounced on the centrist prime minister for undermining a hallowed tenet of Israel's defense policy.

Seeing that Israel isn't a part of the NPT, I don't see that this matters a great deal to the rest of the world much. Those calling for Israel's destruction likely already understand that Israel won't be extending their necks if attacked.

He also told the participants, "Thanks to people's wishes and God's will the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want.

"Just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime soon be wiped out."

Ahmadinejad was cheered by the delegates as he made the scathing remarks. The 60 plus attendees included several writers, hardcore opponents of Israel and the so-called believers in the "white supremacy". Many of them made presentations doubting the existence of gas chambers and concentration camps that were used by the Nazi Germany to exterminate the Jews and other "undesirable" people and arguing that the claims of the Holocaust were fabricated or exaggerated. Among the attendees was David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan leader, who spoke at the conference saying Israel feared an inquiry into the Holocaust more than a nuclear bomb from Iran.

It's nice to note that the prominent nut jobs from the US showed up to this gathering. Though I'm surprised Jemma didn't participate. Seems to be along the lines of many of his arguments against Israel during his lifetime.

This whole issue makes one wonder if Ahmadinejad and his ilk are Moslems advocating apocalyptic views. In many ways that would explain a lot of the rhetoric that must be understood as lowering the gates that restrict Israel from using its arsenal should the be attacked.