Iran: A Future Middle East without the US or Israel

By: Lisa Fiorilli


Marking the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made some interesting comments about what he terms a revolution in the region that will create a new Middle East. At a rally in Tehran in which he voiced his support for the removal of the Mubarak regime (in favor of an Iranian-style Islamic one), he made comments that will undoubtedly be construed as threatening to both the West and Israeli leaders.

"We will soon see a new Middle East materializing without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for world arrogance (The West) in it"

This quote has appeared in various news media sources across the globe this morning, and though there are some variations in the wording, the above one from Associated Foreign Press is the most widely cited.
Ahmadinejad goes on to voice his support of the ongoing protests, and essentially saying that they are a manifestation of the will of the 12th Imam, a "great awakening" and he calls for the West to halt its interference in the affairs of the Middle East and called the United States the "accomplice to the oppression of the Zionist regime". Furthermore, Ahmadinejad calls for the removal of Israel from the region in order to give it back to its people, calling it the "child of Satan (The USA)".
Obviously, there is a lot of loaded rhetoric in the vast majority of Ahmadinejad's speeches, especially vitriolic towards the US and Israel, which he almost never refers to as anything other than the 'Zionist regime'.

How was this speech interpreted in Israeli media?

Ynet News seems to interpret the speech as referring to a diminishing of Israeli and American influence in the region, not necessarily focusing on the rhetoric of removal of Israel altogether. However, it is important to note that they attribute additional sentences to that quote that do not appear in any of the foreign news articles. The line that they add is:

"Soon the entire world will experience the sweet taste of a world without Zionists and thugs".


This is a little strange in the context of the article because the majority of the article is devoted to explaining that Iran would like to simple see Israeli-American influence reduced in the region.
In the Jerusalem Post, the article is significantly smaller and focuses on the fact that Iran repressed its own people who called for revolution in 2009. It is obvious that they are demonstrating the hypocrisy they see in Ahmadinejad's calls for revolution in Egypt and are focusing on that angle instead of elaborating on his comments towards the US and Israel.
Finally, Haaretz takes a similar angle to the one that the Jerusalem Post did, emphasizing how Iran brutally put down a revolution asking for similar rights in its own country in 2009 but was now supporting the Egyptian people's call for rights in Egypt. They also put emphasis on the fact that Iran is trying to gain political capital by insinuating that the Revolution in 1979 was responsible for this Islamic awakening in the region. The rest of their article is devoted to highlighting how Iranian officials were sentencing major opposition leaders to house arrest while simultaneously supporting Egyptian rights and freedoms. Haaretz also makes special note that Ahmadinejad held up a placard that said "Death to Israel" and has a photo of it on their website.
Reading the articles, you get the impression that this is obviously not terribly shocking or inconsistent with anything else Ahmadinejad has said about the West and/or Israel. However, what are the implications if he is right about this being an awakening where the power dynamics of the region are moved away from Israel and the US towards Iran and its allies?
Despite the Israeli media focusing more on the hypocrisy rather than his rhetoric, these types of statements must generate attention from Israeli leaders who have to be concerned that their influence and the American influence has been eroded in the region.




Links:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jyv1zqWHaLSigH6JM5nT7TmFVRjQ?docId=CNG.680158c3fc877f3521627185c89de338.6a1
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqWnNX4nEdyxL80BYmoM9-HkP97g?docId=cd3ff24dc6c147fa81010d85a081701e
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027133,00.html
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=207817
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/ahmadinejad-egypt-unrest-hails-a-mideast-without-u-s-israel-1.342745

Photo:
Shia Post Blog