When "Hit" Becomes "Eat" "Peace" Becomes...Well,.You Get the Idea

Allan Fineberg's picture

From this week's BBC News Questions:

Question 7
Israelis were suprised to hear the French foreign minister quoted as saying this about a possible Iranian nuclear bomb: "I honestly don't believe that it will give any immunity to Iran. First, because you [Israelis] will eat them before." What did he actually say?

A: You will hit them before

B: You'll ignite them before

C: You delete them before

The answer was A
Hebrew daily Haaretz splashed across its front page that Bernard Kouchner said Israel might "eat" the Islamic Republic before it got nuclear arms. The following day Haaretz apologised, saying Mr Kouchner, speaking in English, had actually said "hit". Mr Kouchner also offered a diplomatic apology for the "phonetic confusion".

P.S.: you should see what some Israelis do to the word "peace." We need Esperanto, and we need it now!

manĝi aŭ frapi..

Se S-ro Kouchner parolus Esperanton, li ne erarus, ĉar "manĝi" kaj "frapi" havas NENION komune :)