Will an Israeli Cabinet Minister's threat of the 'destruction of the Iranian nation' receive as much attention as Ahmadi-Nejad's mistranslated threat against Israel?  Check out Arash Norouzi's trenchant deconstruction of the international media's sensationalist reception of Ahmadi-Nejad's  comments vis-a-vis Israel here [1].  He fittingly calls it 'the rumor of the century'.  My question of whether Ben-Eliezer's comments will be met with equal controversy is obviously a rhetorical one since we know that such threats will attract scant attention in the western media.  The threat of 'retaliatory' genocide will almost certainly go unchallenged by the same pundits whom couldn't help themselves but warn the world on a 24/7 loop of the 'genocidal ambitions' harbored by the IRI.  Even if one thoroughly detests the IRI, threats such as these against the Iranian people must be unequivocally denounced and exposed for what they are. Israeli Cabinet minister warns Iran will be destroyed if it attacks Israel
The Associated Press Monday, April 7, 2008

JERUSALEM: An Israeli Cabinet minister warned Iran on Monday that any attack on the Jewish state would result in the "destruction of the Iranian nation," his office said.

The comments by Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a former defense minister, came as Israel held a weeklong countrywide civil defense exercise to practice government and military responses to a national emergency, such as an attack by militant groups or enemy state.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often said Israel should be "wiped off the map" and backs Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas who fought a monthlong war with Israel in 2006.

"An Iranian attack would result in a harsh Israeli reaction that would cause the destruction of the Iranian nation," Ben-Eliezer said during the exercise, according to a statement from his office. "They are definitely aware of our power."

Iran is pursuing nuclear technology it says would be used to generate electricity. The U.S., EU and Israel believe Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons instead.

Iran says it already has long-range missiles that can reach Israel.

Israel is widely believed to have a large stockpile of nuclear weapons but follows a policy it calls "nuclear ambiguity," and has never acknowledged or denied having a nuclear weapons program.

Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have declared that the civil defense exercise is not meant to increase tensions in the region.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/07/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Iran.php [2]