“All those Jews who came here [to Israel] from all over the world must return to the places from where they came. The Jews from Germany should return to Germany.”

— Ikrima Sabri, a former Palestinian Authority mufti, Die Welt, January 2001

Jews should leave Israel and “return” to “where they come from.” This is one of the aims of Hezbollah and Iran’s war against Israel. The strategy to destroy the Jewish state is based on a plan in which Hezbollah, with weapons provided by Iran via Syria, will terrorize Israelis in hopes that it will flee. Both Iran and Hezbollah openly state that this is their ultimate goal.

Over the past year, Arab and Muslim leaders have suggested Alaska, Canada, and anywhere in Europe as alternative territories for the Jewish state. A former Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohammad, appeared on New TV on February 15 and called for the Jews to leave Israel, suggesting, “How about giving a little bit of Texas to make the state of Israel?”

The leader of Hezbollah, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, gave an interview to Al-Manar TV on February 18 in which he was asked, “Is there no end to this hostility” with Israel? He answered: “Yes, there is an end. If the Zionists leave our lands [i.e. Israel] … this conflict will come to an end.”

Sheik Nasrallah elaborated on this concept in a May 23 speech on Al-Manar. He explained that Israel’s most important weaknesses are “the fact that it is not deeply rooted” and “its society is not homogeneous.” He said the Jews “are bound together by a baseless and unfounded myth,”

“Another weakness of this entity is that its people came because they were promised security, peace, and a life in the land of milk and honey. But if they encounter something else, they will leave this land,” he said.

Hezbollah’s representative in Iran, Hossein Safiadeen, told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on July 24: “The people who came to Israel, [they] moved there to live, not to die. If we continue to attack, they will leave.”

Over the past year, in addition to President Ahmadinejad’s calls for Israel to be wiped off the map, the Iranian leader also has been quoted calling on Jews to leave the country:

• “The Europeans can give parts of their territories to Israel. … Germany and Austria in particular could place some of their provinces at Israelis’ disposal.” Al-Alam TV, December 8

• “If you [Europeans] are correct in saying that you killed 6 million Jews in World War II … it is only appropriate that you place a piece of your land at their disposal — a piece of Europe, of America, of Canada, or of Alaska — so they can establish their own state.” IRINN TV, December 14

• “Why do you think they [the Jews] are safe in Palestine? These people, who left their homelands as a result of your pressure and anti-Judaism, went to a country that did not belong to them. Different minorities from different countries came to live side by side, just like pieces of paper joined together with a paper clip. … Open the gates of this big prison. Allow these people to decide freely, and you will see that they will return to their homelands.” IRINN TV, April 24. The Iranian parliament speaker, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, gave an interview to IRINN TV on July 18 in which he also explained, “Following World War II, they established an artificial, false, and fictitious state called Israel … claiming this was support for the Jews of the world. … They came to Palestine. … Today is the day you will flee occupied Palestine. You must return to your homes.”

Of late, propaganda from Iranian press and broadcast outlets has made numerous claims that Jews are leaving Israel. “The reverse immigration of Jews to Europe has begun,” Iran Daily reported on July 27.

In an August 7 article in the Tehran Times, titled “No More Milk and Honey in Israel,” Hassan Hanizadeh wrote: “The pace of emigration from the occupied territories to Europe and North America has significantly accelerated. So, the old saying that Israel is that land of milk and honey … is now relegated to the dustbin of history.”

It should be noted that during the second intifada, the Arab and Iranian press outlets also claimed that the Jews were leaving Israel en masse. In fact, the Jewish population increased during this period.

Mr. Stalinsky is executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute.