Iran’s military staged a parade earlier this week in which soldiers stood atop a giant mural on the ground that read, in Hebrew: “Israel must be erased from.” The additional word meant the Hebrew part of the sentence was incoherent.
The Middle East Media Research Initiative (MEMRI), which published footage of the Sep. 25 event, gave the intended translation: “Israel must be erased.”
However, the footage clearly indicates the presence of an additional word:
Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Mohammad Bagheri Delivers Speech While Soldiers Stand in Formation Over a Surface Emblazoned with the Inscription: “Israel Should Be Erased” #Iran #IRGC #JCPOA pic.twitter.com/vdQUvySEBS
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) September 28, 2023
The phrase could also be translated as “Israel must be wiped out from atop.” Iran has repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, though the dangling preposition here — atop what? — left the sentence incomplete.
The mistake led to mockery online, with Israeli journalist Lahav Harkov joking that “someone needs to go to remedial ulpan,” referring to the language immersion schools where new immigrants to Israel learn Hebrew.
It actually says “Israel should be erased from” – someone needs to go to remedial ulpan https://t.co/q5uVVIrYtN
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) September 29, 2023
MEMRI described the rally, quoting General Bagheri:
“The rule of our master and leader, the Hidden Imam, is the rule of the righteous. But what is the meaning of waiting for [his reappearance]? It does not mean to sit still and just feel love for the Hidden Imam. This waiting finds meaning in belief, Jihadi action, relentless effort, altruism, self-sacrifice, and readiness. What kind of battle will be fought in honor [of the Hidden Imam]? According to the traditions, it will be a fierce battle with the arrogant plunderers, who will be armed to the teeth. This battle will require commanding and powerful armed forces, dedicated, strong, committed, and brave jihad-fighting soldiers.”
Iran has long threatened to eliminate Israel, including through the use nuclear weapons. The new threat comes as U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran, and is said to have accepted a tacit “mini-deal” already, which would allow Iran to enrich uranium to a point just short of creating an actual weapon.
This week, it was reported that Iranian-backed advisers had infiltrated the Biden administration’s negotiating team.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.