Iran, Holocaust Denial, and Israel Bashing: Don't Take Ahmadinejad's Bait

Iran's President spoke at the U.N. yesterday. He has made a lot of news recently, largely because of his continual outlandish and condemnable remarks denying the Holocaust and his Israel bashing. These are bizarre, yet well calculated statements. While we have grown accustomed to such statements from the Iranian leader, we would be well served to remember that he is doing this for a reason. What we should not do is take the bait.

I remember visiting the Nazi concentration camp of Majdanek in Poland in the early 1990s. I'll never forget our tour guide telling us that thousands of Jews, Poles, Roma, political prisoners, homosexuals, and others were killed there by firing squads, their bodies then tossed into mass graves. I remember the bumpiness of the ground where those graves were located. And I remember praying at the mountain of human ash at the Majdanek mausoleum, unable to comprehend the enormity of the evil that was done there.

It is because of this that I will not allow Ahmadinejad to cheapen the memory of the Holocaust nor bash Israel for his own cynical, political purposes.

Ahmadinejad is a master of distraction. He knows that he has no credibility at home, having stolen an election in a coup d'état and then having proceeded to violate the human rights of his own citizens. As NIAC's Trita Parsi recently pointed out, Ahmadinejad is attempting to change the conversation about what's going wrong inside of Iran by using the Holocaust and Israel-bashing as bait. He doesn't want to be questioned about his government's behavior surrounding the June 12th elections, or about the show trials of political opponents underway in Tehran. And he certainly doesn't want to answer the hard questions being posed by the international community about his country's nuclear intentions.

Yet there is too much at stake right now for us to allow him to use the Holocaust and Israel bashing as a distraction. President Obama's consistent policy of engaging the Iranians is gaining momentum, as the P5+1 will meet with the Iranians on October 1st. This meeting should include discussions not only about Iran's nuclear program, but also about broader issues related to our relationship, including human rights and democracy. Ahmadinejad should not be allowed to avoid this scrutiny, and the Iranian people should know that we are on their side.

Ahmedinejad's rants about the Holocaust and Israel should be ignored, precisely because ignoring them will weaken his position. A continual focus on these comments by us only serves to strengthen his hand internally, helping him to make the case to Iranians that the international community is against Iran. We should instead move right past these comments and demand that he answer the tough questions that the P5+1 discussion will bring.

As one of the 99.99% of humanity that knows that the Holocaust occurred, I believe that we have a responsibility to both remember and speak out about this horrific event. As a lifelong supporter of Israel, I also believe that we must take the Iranian challenge both seriously and urgently. Yet it is also our responsibility to ensure that we are forcefully and directly resolving the problems of today. That is not what Ahmadinejad wants us to think about. It is our choice on what we want to focus on and how we want to react. We should not take the bait.

 

 

Comments

[hrholmes]

Israel is not really a democracy. It is based solely on religion and race as a state. Only if you are Jewish (race and religion) can someone be allowed to become a citizen or vote. They are a minority in that country, most residents are Muslim Arabs. Everybody else within the borders is second class at best like we had here, before the Civil War. They consider themselves a separate race as the chosen ones. Chosen for what is rather unclear as in all theocracies they make up their own brand of racial supremacy. Jews that object are proclaimed self hating. All dissention by anyone else causes them to complain their coined term "anti-Semitic" or "remember the holocaust". They do utilize this to great advantage when bombing neighbors, robbing them, erecting walls, and stealing their properties by calling them settlements and thumping their version of their bible. I for one am ashamed that we as Americans are still forced to pay for them. Time to cut off their free welfare state payments for which we get nothing in return. They don’t even pay taxes here. I bet less than 4% of Americans want to continue the welfare payments to them.

[upriser]

I can agree with your basic premise. However, when we meet with the Iranians in October, the issues on the table should not be human rights and democracy, etc. Our haranging them about the weaknesses in their regime and country are ridiculous. It does not set the table for mutual respect. What if the Iranians decide to lecture us on how our so-called democracy is owned by corporate interests and how 45 million of our people lack basic health insurance and thousands of people go bankrupt every week because of their inability to pay for necessary health care that is controlled by an immoral profit-system. The agenda should be about confidence-building measures to improve relations - cultural exchanges, diplomatic relations, trade deals, etc. etc. That's how you will wean them away from developing nuclear weapons. They won't feel the need to do this if they don't feel threatened. They will want the capacity to do so and we'll have to live with this. What we want to stop is their desire to "develop" and build these weapons.

[harrymudd]

Joel,

You are 100% right. The clerical regime in Iran is at the brink of falling apart. Therefore they are working hard to divert attention. They would love a confrontation with the West. That would give them the excuse to hang to power. The Iranian people are NOT behind Ahmadinejad. You all saw the demonstrations.

[simplypeyton]

We saw the demonstrations that the mainstream media allowed us to see. There was a curious lack of coverage of the massive pro-Ahmadinejad rallies in Teheran that were occurring at the same time as the more well publicized "pro-democracy" rallies. I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea of a theocratic state, but Ahmadinejad enjoys tremendous support from most Iranians. Those publicly opposed to him represent a relatively small, Westernized elite who live in a completely different world than the overwhelming majority of Iranians. You need to look beyond your television to obtain an accurate view of Iran.

[harrymudd]

Not sure what you saw. But I have family in Iran and do not need the MSM or you to tell me. The vast majority of Iranian people hate Ahmadinejad. The "pro" Ahmandinejad demonstrations were staged. The guy has been a total disaster and wrecked the Iranian economy. Now the reasons they hate him are not the same as why the west hates him. But the feelings are very real.

PS,
I do not watch television news. Specially about Iran. I get the news straight from my family.

[zapata999]

joel rubin

Iran,s independence is not for sale.forge­t about it.

[almost homeless]

Hitler and the holocaust are ancient history and I'm tired of hearing about it. Roughly 70 million people died in WWII, less than 10% of them were jews. When's the last time anyone heard one iota about the other 64 million non jews who died?

We've been killing Iraqis and afghans EVERY DAY for 8 years, and we will kill more tommorrow. Talking about what happened 70+ years ago to one small group in one war is asinine compared to all the deaths since then all over the world.

P.S. When is isreal going to come clean about their nukes? Hypocrisy at it's finest.

[noaxe397]

All good points I agree with.

However, we do hear, in this country almost everyday, about those of the so-called Greatest Generation who fought and died in WWII, roughly half a million.

[Antiks]

Amen. I'm tired of hearing how righteous they are!

[ray01]

You mean God's chosen people? Aren't they superior to the Gentile?

[Looplinker]

You are right except for one thing...Th­e Jews were specifically picked out for complete extermination in every country the Germans occupied. Six million of us were specifically hunted and murdered in Europe because of our belief system. As a Jew it is difficult to feel secure anywhere. I recall when there was an oil embargo in 1973, my neighbors here in the USA had bumper stickers that stated "Burn Jews Not Oil".

Israel should only give up its nuclear weapons in a perfect world where its right to exist is recognized by all and Jews are not subjected to hate and murder (recall Daniel Pearl was decapitated simply because he was Jewish).

[simplypeyton]

The Roma/Sinti (Gypsy) people, the Slavs, the handicapped, the homosexuals, etc. were all "specifically targeted" as well; the Jews do not have a monopoly on the suffering caused by Hitler's policies. Also, Daniel Pearl was decapitated for being a Westerner, not a Jew.

[AndyGra]

Joel Rubin, you say that you have been a "lifelong supporter" of Israel.
My objection to Israeli policy, at least as is reported in the press, is that They, as a Country and as a recognized distinct People appear to have forgotten their past persecutions. Or perhaps They have internalized those persecutions to a self-destructive degree.
In that quarter of the world, there are many sand covered remains of cities that were sacked and burned, with all the inhabitants forgotten over eons. But, this is not Pax Romana.
The choices for the State of Israel are clear. Either act as the Roman Empire did (to the Tribes of Israel), or make Peace. The first option has unimagined consequenses. The second option has loss of face, accomodation, reparations, and RESPECT around the world.

[fairplaystacy]

Unfortunately Netanyahu has taken the bait

[refah]

Taking the bait is what the warmongers want. Who cares if Americans and much of the world are mislead in the process. Endless war is their goal. What other means of support is there for this sorry nation?

[Sirdi]

Yeah, right, blah blah. If all that were true, he would not have made all these same pronouncements many years before his election. He's been saying this from day One. So, here's a chance for a re-do.

Secondly, hard to imagine what a coup d'etat would look like if you're the sitting president. Stolen election - well that sounds like American Propaganda to me. Funny coming from a country having had elections stolen in 2000, and again in 2004, eh?

[wereeverywhere]

Not only do you not know much about what's going on in Iran, if you confront facts that you don't like with bleating blah blah you'll continue to be in the dark. Good luck.

[JudgeMoonbox]

Ahmadinejad says that the Holocaust is "Unproven.­" We should invite him to Auschwitz, listen to all the questions he asks...,

And then we should turn to his reelection and demand that he show--by the standard of proof he set forth, that he actually won it.

Ahmadinejad wants to depict his opposition as being the puppets of foreign powers. We should ask him, "Wouldn't meddling foreigners WANT an incompetent clown if they wanted to weaken Iran?"

[LewScannon]

And then right after that, we should ask Israel and the US why they installed Fatah after Hamas won the last Palestinian Authority election..­.........

[shotei]

Mr. Rubin, as much as I agree with your entire logic here, I reach a different conclusion. Simply ignoring a world leader who is openly and unapologetically anti-Semitic is a dangerous and wrong step for the international community.
Why can't responsible world leaders do both? Object and condemn these outrageous remarks while at the same time pressure Ahmadinejad to be accountable for his human rights record and his coup.

[Ergon]

What he did, in the UN, was call the great powers out for their hypocrisy. And he also calls people out for the hypocrisy of claiming that THEIR national tragedy somehow trumps every one else's.

[ReedYoung]

Those are good points, but if he was sincerely trying to contribute to peace with any valid points, he would stop denying the well known fact of the Holocaust. Rubin is exactly correct, Ahmadinejad's purpose is not to make progress on Palestinian human rights, only to make noise about Israel. He panders to his base and steals elections just like W.

[wereeverywhere]

He sure showed them. Nothing like a right wing, holocaust denying, political dissident jailing, gay basher who can say the following without breaking out in laughter:

http://www.juancole.com/
“I have also reiterated the need for a drastic change in type of viewing and dealing with the human beings and the world developments and to establish new justice seeking and humane systems aimed at constructing a bright future . . .”

"The Iranian nation has left behind a very glorious, totally free election, and marked a new chapter of national blossoming and broad global interactions with their landslide votes, putting the heavy weigh of responsibility on my shoulders.­"

[wereeverywhere]

Because some still apparently believe Ahmadinejad did not deny the Holocaust,

http://www.juancole.com/2007/06/ahmadinejad-i-am-not-anti-semitic.htm

"I renew my call to readers to write protest letters to newspapers and other media every time they hear it alleged that Ahmadinejad (or "Iran"!) has threatened to "wipe Israel off the map." There is no such idiom in Persian and it is not what he said, and the mistranslation gives entirely the wrong impression. Wars can start over bad translatio­ns."

However, once again, he denies holocaust

http://www.juancole.com/2009/09/ahmadinejad-spews-raving-lunatic-anti.html

The US press coverage of the speech has focused on Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust, which seems more complete than before ... "Four or five years after the Second World War, all of a sudden they claimed that during this war, the Holocaust had occurred. They claimed that a few million Jews had been burned in the crematorium furnaces. They institutionalized two slogans. One was the innocence of the Jews. They used lies and very sophisticated propaganda and psychological ploys and created the illusion that they (the Jews) are innocent. The second goal was that they created the illusion that the Jews needed an independent state and government. They were so persuasive and convincing that many of the world's politicians and intellectuals were deceived and persuaded.­" Elsewhere he called this 'pretext' a "lie" and a "myth" (afsaneh).

[fairplaystacy]

Ahmadinejad denied having a nuclear enrichment facility too - looks like the opposite of everything he says is true. At least he's consistent.

[eileenflemingWAWA]

Joel, my grandfather was a Polish Jew who died before I could learn how many of my relatives were gassed and fried because good people did nothing for too long.

Have you ever focused on the Palestinian's ongoing Nakba/Disaster- meaning when Israel became a state 750,000 indigenous people became refugees, and they have been denied human rights and USA policy has supported Israel's 42 years of military occupation.

The Declaration of the Establishment of Israel states:

"On the day of the termination of the British mandate and on the strength of the United Nations General Assembly declare The State of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel: it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion it will guarantee freedom of religion [and] conscience and will be faithful to the Charter of the United Nations." - May 14, 1948.

How about we all focus on that?

[yankees]

What are you trying to say? Give back the land? Don't forget that this land was promised due to the Balfour Declaration for Jews loyalty in WWI.
With that theory, why doesn't all countries give back the land they took from the peoples that were settled their before? How many Arab countries would have to give land back that they took? How about the USA and all the Americas?

[Macready]

the balfour declaration was British anti-semitism writ large . . the aim was to limit the number of Jews who could settle in Britain . . so they had the power of empire . . . and they abused it . . .

[synick]

That statement was rejected by the Arab world, not the Israeli's.

By the way, WWII and the Holocaust probably delayed the UN charter rather than precipitating it. If not for WWII, Israel would have been ratified earlier per the Balfour declaration.

[MARNIE2]

YES HE CAN BE .......VER­Y DECEPTIVE.­.... ?