Der Spiegel interviews Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and discusses Israel, Zionism, the Holocaust, Iraq, nuclear weapons and Western hypocrisy:
Ahmadinejad: We don’t want to confirm or deny the Holocaust. We oppose every type of crime against any people. But we want to know whether this crime actually took place or not. If it did, then those who bear the responsibility for it have to be punished, and not the Palestinians. Why isn’t research into a deed that occurred 60 years ago permitted? After all, other historical occurrences, some of which lie several thousand years in the past, are open to research, and even the governments support this.
SPIEGEL: Mr. President, with all due respect, the Holocaust occurred, there were concentration camps, there are dossiers on the extermination of the Jews, there has been a great deal of research, and there is neither the slightest doubt about the Holocaust nor about the fact - we greatly regret this - that the Germans are responsible for it. If we may now add one remark: the fate of the Palestinians is an entirely different issue, and this brings us into the present.
Indeed it does bring us into the present, because something can actually done to end the suffering in the Occupied Territories. Ending the Occupation would be a good start.
In any event, a far easier method for Ahmadinejad to help alleviate suffering world wide is to look in his own backyard and end the persection and murder of minorities such as homosexuals, non-Muslims and dissenters in Iran.
President Ahmadinejad (bless him) is the “little guy” compared to the Americans but he is wantonly callous about regional sensitivies and the history of the Holocaust.
This guy has been a University academic and so’s his wife - so he knows better. But he is appealing (with disturbing success) to the lowest common denominator of anti Semitism in the Muslim world and in Western Europe.
Pete
http://spyingbadthings.blogspot.com
Oh please. The suffering of the Palestinians is overwhelmingly the fault of the wider Arab world and the Palestinians themselves. The world is slowly waking up to all the propogarnda about “end the occuptaion and the suffering will stop.” As If!
Oh come on Viva,
Waking up to what? Israel has all but given up tryign to win the propaghanda war and has settled for the giving the world the “fuck you”. Palestinans are not bombing themselves or shelling the Gaza strip.Palestinans are not bulldozing their own homes. Palestinans are not shooting their own children.
Addamo
And many, including myself, are now coming around to sympathising with Israels’ “fuck you” attitude. You only have to have followed the Quartet’s policies since the lection of Hamas to see that people are no longer buying the “poor us, innocent victims of the world’s most BRUTAL and ILLEGAL occupation ever, ever…” that the Palestinian propoganda machine has been so successful in spewing over the past few decades.
And many, including myself, are now coming around to sympathising with Israels’ “fuck you” attitude.
Stop trying to bullshit us. You’ve always had a “fuck you” attitude towards Zionism’s critics.
Progressive_Athiest
I must say that I have rarely had any respect for western ‘Zionist critics.” A bit to undergraduate posturing for my liking. But I am not talking about them. I am talking about the Palestinians, the wider Arab world, Iran, and the Israelis.
On the copntrary Viva,
You are confusing the moves of some sycophantic governments with the general sentiment among the public.
Suggestion of boycotting Israel are now openly discussed, where previously, no one would have dared. Similarly, the notion of trying IDF officers as war criminals is also becoming more common.
Just today:
British war crimes lawyer denied entry
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1148482054880&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer
CUPE in Ontario votes to boycott Israel
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/05/27/cupe-sat.html?print
As for the most successful propaganda machine ever, you can’t beat the milking of the Holocaust to get yourself not only a country, but have the world’s foremost superpower play your lapdog. When it comes to “poor us, innocent victims”, the world is getting increasingly bored with this coming from a country with 200 plus nukes.
Hence the reason why they expelled over 10,000 Jews in Gaza and destroyed green houses which contributed over US$300 mill to the Israeli economy. In response the Palestinians voted in Hamas. Thats what I call a “fuck you” attitude.
Right now the Israeli govt is planning to expel a futher 100,000 jews at the cost of US $20 billion (more than a quarter of Israel’s entire economy) and are implementing serious budget cuts to all sectors of Israeli society. So much for a “fuck you” attitude. What will the Palesitnians do in response?
No they are not bombing themselves or shelling Gaza, but they are quite curiously bombing Israelis and shelling Israeli towns and villages (details that you conviently leave out)…hence the type of respnse that you are seeing from Israel.
These plans were in place long before Hamas came ot power. Regardless, while withdrawl’s from Gaza (which is of zero value to Israel) the West Bank was being further populated.
Yeah like Israel is goign to foot the bill - NOT. Another US tax payer subsidized campaign.
Since when have Israel needed a reason to shoot Palestinain children, or to bulldoze Palestinian homes.
viva peace Jun 1st, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Stop the presses: Undergraduate Finds Undergraduates Dislikeable.
Comical_Ali Jun 1st, 2006 at 4:47 pm
Classic amateur error of Cost-Benefit Analysis: count the costs, ignore the benefits. The Overall outcome is a net gain in land for the Israeli expansionists.
viva you wrote “The world is slowly waking up to all the propogarnda about “end the occuptaion and the suffering will stop.” As If!”
Who said the suffering will stop? All demcratic and free countries have problems but that is NOT a reason for us to occupy them.
I share your view here Iqbal; that he should look in his own backyard first. This is the same view I have of US administrations too.
Nadia
That is the point. The Muslims will not stop their plans to destroy Israel. For them “the occupation” means the existence of the state of Israel!
The world must stand firm and let the Islamofacsists know that we will no longer fall for their deceits!
Stop the press : fast eddy shares the same views as the islamofascists.
Viva,
The Palestinains have overwhelmingly agreed to the idea of a two state solution. Two states implies the contionued existence of Israel. Droo the histerical idiocy, even though the impedning destruction of Israel is the one remaining ace up the sleeve for the continuiance of Israel’s expasion.
You also deliberately conflate Islamofacsists with Palestinains and even Hamas. It is you that must understand that Islamofacsists are, small, hardly influentilal, isolated, dispersed and control NOTHING. Never have and never will.
You and your fellow travellers are clipnging onto this myth as if it were a new Cold War.
Addamo
Oh OK, so now you are channeling David Irving; or perhaps david Duke; or even Robert Faurrison. Remember Addamo, if you lie down with dogs you will get fleas.
Addamo
Do you even read the Palestinian press!? Please. The majority support a 2 State solution? What a scream! Have you even read the Hamas Charter?
captain Jun 2nd, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Huh? Islamo-fascists (whomever they are) argue for a serious and honest approach to cost-benefit analysis? Don’t tell me you’re for a dishonest approach to such things? That would be soooo out of character for you.
Tell me something: has the area occupied by the Israeli regime increased or decreased after the Gaza pull-out. Here’s a hint: increased.