Ahmadinejad Gives Another Victory to the Israeli Right
When representatives of many Arab and Muslim nations publicly applaud Ahmadinejad's racist rant, the real losers are the Palestinians.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the Durban II conference on racism turned into a racist rant against Israel and the Jewish people. The conference, intended to give the people of the world an opportunity to challenge racism, lost all credibility when many in attendance applauded Ahmadinejad's claim that the Jewish people used the Holocaust as a pretext to take over and dominate the people of Palestine. Ahmadinejad, you'll recall, won global attention when he became the first leader of a UN country to call for the wiping out of another UN country (though he later claimed he was only calling for regime change), and for denying the very existence of the Holocaust.
Ahmadinejad's tirade makes quite a bit more sense in the context of domestic Iranian politics. Playing to anti-Semitism and anti-Western attitudes may be his only hope as he runs for re-election, given his failure to deliver on the promise to end poverty and powerlessness that he made during the last campaign. What makes less sense is why some of his fellow Muslims have not denounced this anti-Semitism more vigorously. The media accounts really don't give you the full sense of it. Ahmadinejad describes the history of the past century as though the Zionists were running the world and the imperialist countries were merely extensions of the Zionist project. Thus he ascribes to the Jewish people a power that exceeds that of all other forces on the planet. This reading, of course, has no way to explain how such a powerful group could end up getting murdered in their millions and why they were unable to get the Allied countries to intervene sooner against Hitler, or to bomb the concentration camps, or to impose an entirely Jewish state in Palestine. It is a reading of history that only sounds plausible to those who have no knowledge of the history of the twentieth century, but that, as it turns out, is the majority of the people of the world. So the story he tells, while seeming nothing less than paranoid insanity to those who are familiar with the facts, is precisely the kind of distorted reading that made it possible for Hitler to gain a following by claiming that all of Germany's problems came from the Jews, the communists, the gypsies and the homosexuals. Needless to say, communist, gypsies, and homosexuals are also in grave danger in Iran, though the primary public target of hatred is "the Zionist state." Today, Holocaust Memorial Day, we at Tikkun want to acknowledge that this kind of thinking is worthy of public challenge by all reasonable people on the planet, just as we at Tikkun challenge every other form of hate-mongering, including those forms that appear at times in sectors of the Jewish world. And we invite our Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, humanist, atheist, and all other brothers and sisters to join us in challenging this poison.
The creation of the State of Israel was a product of a Jewish nationalist movement that arose at the end of the nineteenth century and sought to provide protection for Jews who were treated as second-class citizens in both Christian Europe and Muslim countries for many hundreds of years. The desire for a safe haven made perfect sense, though the antagonism that they encountered from many Palestinians made perfect sense as well given the previous history of Western colonialism and Christian crusades.
Palestinians saw the Jews as an invading force that would uproot their own Arab society. Yet most Jews coming to Palestine were fleeing oppression, and simply could not understand how Palestinians would view them as agents of a Christian West that had been murdering Jews as "Christ killers" for at least 1,500 years. The mutual misunderstandings were predictable, though not inevitable, and both sides bear considerable responsibility for not reaching out in a more generous way toward the other. In the end, each party's insensitivity strengthened those elements on the other side that were most fearful for their existence (I've told this story in more detail in my book Healing Israel/Palestine, North Atlantic Books, 2003).
The failure of most countries of the world to open their doors to Jews seeking to escape Nazi persecution -- and then the resolute opposition of the Palestinian movement to allowing Jewish refugees from coming to Palestine during and after the Holocaust -- set the stage for the first act of global affirmative action: the vote by the United Nations to create the State of Israel. Had the Palestinian people accepted the UN division of Palestine, the two states that Palestinians seek today would have already been in existence.
Without trying to tell the whole story, I do believe that Israel's current policies toward the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza are cruel, repressive, and de facto racist. Many of us who support Israel's right to exist are strong critics of its current policies.
Yet one reason why the peace forces are unable to win majority support in Israel or among the Jewish people as a whole is that too many Arabs and Palestinians seek not a two-state solution but the total elimination of the State of Israel as a Jewish homeland.
Ahmadinejad, like Hamas, and like many other voices in the Arab and Islamic world, conflate legitimate criticism of Israel's policies with an assault on Israel's existence; an error which becomes even more outrageous when linked to a denial of the Holocaust or the anti-Semitism that led to the flight of some one million Jews from Arab countries between 1947 and 1967. When Prime Minister Netanyahu, Avigdor Lieberman, and other right-wing extremists are able to point to this irrational hatred of the Jewish people as the "real" underlying message of the critics of the Occupation, they stir up fears among Israelis that seem to be rationally founded, given the hatred being expressed.
All the more so when one witnesses the striking silence about the racism that led to the Hutu-Tutsi massacres, the destruction of Buddhism in Tibet by Chinese racism, the oppression of women and gays in many Muslim countries, and so on. By singling out Israel, Ahmadinejad proves the case for many Israelis that the critique is not simply a matter of rational opposition to oppressive policies, but rather a manifestation of the very hatred that makes it imperative for Jews to protect themselves by any means necessary.
We at Tikkun and our affiliated Network of Spiritual Progressives will not use the Ahmadinjad speech as an excuse to quiet our critique of Israeli policies toward Palestinians -- policies that are discriminatory toward Palestinians living in Israel and racist and repressive toward Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. But we also will insist that the real crimes of recent governments of the State of Israel pale in comparison to the crimes committed by China in Tibet, or by the United States in Vietnam and Iraq, or by the Arab government of Sudan in Darfur. They pale in comparison to the human rights abuses in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Åfghanistan, and several African states.
We in the Jewish peace movement championed by Tikkun, and we in the interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives, plead with our Muslim and Arab comrades and friends to denounce those who deny the Holocaust and who unfairly critique Israel. So it was with deep disappointment that we watched as representatives of many of these countries cheered Ahmadinejad's tirade rather than dismiss him as the racist demagogue that he is.
The great losers in this are the Palestinian people. The more that Jews are scared, the less likely they are to be true to their own religious and cultural history, largely one of support for the most oppressed. So the anti-racist conference that calls itself Durban II actually succeeded in strengthening the hold of the racists, and in the process has made continued Palestinian suffering all the more likely.
For those of us who believe that the God of all peoples wants all to be treated as equally valuable and as embodiments of God's image on earth, the failure of Muslims and Arab to disassociate themselves more publicly and forcefully is itself a problem that must be addressed with honesty and public confrontation, in a spirit of mutual respect and caring for each other. To do less would be to dishonor the God of the universe. We in the Jewish world who continually and publicly critique the misuse of Judaism to justify racist and repressive policies by the State of Israel have every right to demand a similar critique from our Arab Christian and Muslim brothers and sisters.
P.S. I note with gratitude an immediate response we got to this from Iftekhar Hai, who informed us that the United Muslim Alliance Interfaith Alliance joins us in condemning Ahmadinejad's racism and Holocaust denial speech!
If you want to help get this message out, feel free to put it on your own website, send it to everyone you know, or otherwise distribute and reprint this. Please help us continue to do this kind of messaging by joining the Network of Spiritual Progressives as a paying member. The NSP includes atheists who are spiritual but not religious. Visit www.spiritualprogressives.org to learn more.
Comments and responses welcome to RabbiLerner@Tikkun.org. Please be aware that an edited version of your response may be printed on our website or in Tikkun magazine.
Ilana Teitelbaum: Israel's Election Day: Not a Change We Can Believe In
All three of Israel's candidates for Prime Minister belong to an era that should be receding behind us, not popping up in our ballot boxes again and again.
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"Yet one reason why the peace forces are unable to win majority support in Israel or among the Jewish people as a whole is that too many Arabs and Palestinians seek not a two-state solution but the total elimination of the State of Israel as a Jewish homeland."
I so beg to differ! Nobody wants to resolve this issue less than Israel. If anyone can be blamed for the mess that the Middle East is in that would be Israel.
Israel benefits from the chaos it causes, in the mean time it cries wolf (or rather "anti-Semitism and Holocust) every time they're rightfully critized for their wrongdoing. Nobody wants elimination of more pople and countries than Israel and nobody is doing more about it to accomplish its goal than Israel. If given to their devices, Israel will eliminate Palestine first, then Iran, next would be Syria, Lebanon and on to Egypt. Iraq and Pakhistan have already been taken care of by their puppet - the US - a gift to its master Israel courtesy of American taxpayers.
So, please, be serious! If Israel doesn't want to be critized, it's an easy fix: stop the genocide! Stop murdering women and children! Stop the Apartheid! Stop instigating and threatening everybody in the Middle East. Treat others as you demand others to treat you. And, please, STOP THE WHINNING ABOUT THE HOLOCUST AND ANTI-SEMITISM!
Seriously, it's supposed to be Iran's fault the Israeli electorate voted for right wing war hawks? I've yet to see the supporters of Israel attribute /anything/ Israel does, that has an even slightly negative connotation, on Israel itself. It's like little children who can't take responsibility for their own mistakes. And thus, never learn from them.
"Aside from Iran's satellite, Syria, no Arab country has shed a tear for Hamas. Indeed, mainstream Arab media have accused Hamas leaders of provoking a war they couldn't win. The Sunni world recognizes that Iran's proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, pose a real threat to them.
The leadership in Tehran has repeatedly and publicly mocked and called for the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy and the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Hamas leaders have been accused in the mainstream Arab media of provoking a war they couldn't win."
http://www.metimes.com/Opinion/2009/01/19/the_real_world_gazas_five_rings_of_fire/3092/
...And you continue to thread spam with links to right wing editorials. So how many of these do you think you can rattle out before getting banned like last time, MagisterLudi? Five? Six?
Fact: there was never Palestinains state.
Fact: Palestinains can only get a country by acquiring the good will of Israel electorate and sincere negotiating with Israeli elected representatives.
And none of the duplicitous verbal gymnastics will change this fact.
Point for optimism: Abbas seems to be more sincere than Arafat's duplicitious behavior ever was.So there's hope for West Bank.
There's no hope for Gazastan at this point.
Fact:Israel made enduring peace with those deemed sincere in desire for peace. Egypt and Jordan come to mind. Many Arab states see that now and ( privately) relaxed their stance toward Israel.
Fact: Israel has peaceful relations and great cultural, scientific and political relationships with states that are peaceful toward it.
Maybe one day Palestinains will have enough wherewithal and maturity to join in.
One can hope.
You know even the Israeli government acknowledges the existence of Palestine.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/UN+General+Assembly+Resolution+181.htm
See how many times the name "Palestine" appears in this.
You know, one of the reasons you got banned the first time around, M.L., was constantly cross-posting these lies to multiple articles.
There was never a state of Palestine. Ever.
Deal with it.
But, and this a big but, If Palestinains will convince Israeli electorate of their good intentions, there may be one at some point in time.
No amount of whining will change this fact.
Rarely does one find ignorance, myopia, bigotry and disingenuousness is one post, in nearly such exact proportions. Interesting.
Yet you incapable of challangin a single fact with historical evidence,.
Not surprising.
Good discussion. Rabbi.
Now if you can just get more Jews and Israelis to listen maybe we could move towards peace.
Read Hamas Charter and read some of their speeches.
Then talk.
Or ask Palestinains who turned down the Clinton's peace plan and turned up terrorist attacks about their peace plans.
Oh yeah, I save you the effort. Clinton plan was not good and Palestinains had no choice but to turn to "legitimate' terrorism.
Enjoy your illusions.
That is why your Ahamdinejad version of peace , based on tired slogans and utter bias, is a non-starter.
Head up-- the most important important constituency Palestinian leaders have to convince of their sincerity for peace is Israeli electorate.
This effort has been noticeably lacking. What with Palestinian dancing in the streets during the Scud attacks, and wholehearted support for various Ayatollahs, Husseins, Jihads and Osamas.
You can engage in any " but Gaza,"... "but settlements" argument you want.
But Israel is democracy ( don't argue, it is). And without "Israeli street" there will be no Palestinian state. Ever.
Thats reality. Deal with it.
Oh yes. Read the Hamas charter. A document with no official authors nor any signatories. Basically, a document banged out by a guy with a laptop and a grudge against somebody.
How about this? Why don't we read the /Likud/ charter, huh?
http://www.knesset.gov.il/elections/knesset15/elikud_m.htm
"A unilateral Palestinian declaration of the establishment of a Palestinian state will constitute a fundamental and substantive violation of the agreements with the State of Israel and the scuttling of the Oslo and Wye accords. The government will adopt immediate stringent measures in the event of such a declaration...."
"The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting...."
"Israel rejects out of hand ideas raised by Labor Party leaders concerning the relinquishment of parts of the Negev to the Palestinians...."
So, Likud plans to sabotage ANY plans for a two state solution. Any plans for peace, really. It's an official declaration. Seriously. That's from the Knesset's web site.
So we know who the real obstacle to peace is.
"The real crimes of recent governments of the State of Israel... pale in comparison to the human rights abuses in … Iran and …." What crimes has Iran committed against Jews or any other people? The only big problem in Iran is its very recent fanatic religiosity and the persecution of Bahais, which again is based on misguided religious tenets. Jews have always lived comfortably in Iran. Many have left for other reasons just as many Iranians have left.
Rabbi Lerner also repeats the same old tired nonsense about Ahmadinejad calling for "the wiping out of another UN country …." It is not Ahmadinejad's fault that a mistranslation was picked by Israeli propagandists and it continues to be perpetuated by Rabbi Lerner and others. As for the Holocaust, Ahmadinejad said that about 100 million people were killed in the two world wars, so why do we only hear about the Jewish Holocaust? The biggest problem with Ahmadinejad's speech in Geneva was the totally ridiculous religious nonsense that he spouted at the beginning of his speech, as in every other speech that he makes. For this reason only, I hope he loses the election. Until religion is kept out of politics nothing will be resolved in the Middle East. The whole idea of a "Jewish state of Israel" is suspect for this very reason. Whether it is a one-state solution or two-state solution, there will only peace if religion stops being the defining factor.
The whole idea of a "Jewish state of Israel" is suspect for this very reason.Until religion is kept out of politics nothing will be resolved in the Middle East."
I agree about trying to take religion out of politics.
1.But Israel is secular state, founded and ran by socialists until the 80s.
Proof:Israel has some of the best socialized medicines in the world, very strong unions, great retirement benefits for all (Arab and Jews alike) .
Yes, it has relgiious parties but also popular communist, all-arab and atheist parties.
It is in no way religiously controlled state.
2. There are many Jews that are atheists. But they and others consider them Jewish.
Certainly any communist named Greenberg will quickly find out he's Jewish trying to get a visa to Saudi Arabia or purchase land in Jordan ( a capital offense).
The Jewish claim and possession of the land of Israel is a combination of historical, cultural and religious. Depends who you ask..
You must be joking! It is true that there are many atheists in Israel, but religious parties have enormous power in Israel and they consider the entire land that was Palestine as God's gift to Jews. Also, if Israel is secular, how come Arabs citizens are not treated equally? Please do not insult people's intelligence by arguing against this point. Thus, if discrimination is not by religion, then it must by race. You can draw your own conclusions from this argument. On the other hand, I agree with you that Saudi Arabia is also a religious dungeon.
Also, as far as the West Bank and Gaza are concerned, Israel has usurped other people's land and has built enormous settlements there, in the process taking up all the water rights and massacring people in the process. You cannot expect peace if you mistreat people. All this propaganda against Iran is party to make people forget about the plight of the Palestinians.
"The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values."
http://www.knesset.gov.il/elections/knesset15/elikud_m.htm
This has become the official line of the Israeli government, for all intents and purposes (whether it was or wasn't prior to their ascension.) So yeah, Israel is the "Jewish state of Israel" according to the ruling party.
stop with the Jewish homeland . . . this is zionism . . . many Jews say the existence of Israel is contratry to the Talmud . . . I am sure you know this . . . the Jews who lived in Palestine prior to the European invasion got on well with their Muslim neighbours . . . the invasion of European Jews after WWII made life hell for both the Jews and Muslims who were already living there . . please stop tryng to rewrite history according to what israel wants . . .
"stop with the Jewish homeland"
-Nice way to start out a post, wanting a stop to a homeland for Jews. Why are there homelands for Muslims and for Christians but there can't be one for Jews?
"many Jews say the existence of Israel is contratry to the Talmud"
-I assume you are talking about Neturei Karta, which is a group of maximum 5,000 jews, only 100 of which actually take part in anti-Israel activism. So it's not many Jews, it's only a fraction of one percent of the entire Jewish population. Their interpretation of the Talmud is the same thing as Radical Islams interpretation of the Koran. Or in the bible when someone wants to point out homosexuality is evil or that revenge is justified.
"the invasion of European Jews after WWII made life hell for both the Jews and Muslims who were already living there"
-Read up on your history a little better. European Jews were arriving in Palestine since the 1880's. These Jews bought up land and worked it. The Jews who came after World War 2 were holocaust victims, so I doubt they were in the invading mood.
I think that it is you who is rewriting history according to what you want. The Rabbi, like myself, support the rights of Palestinians just as we support the rights of Israelis. You on the other hand only support the rights of the Palestinians, and that gets nobody anywhere. Peace can only be achieved through mutual understanding
"Why are there homelands for Muslims and for Christians but there can't be one for Jews?" Why stop there? Why can't their be a homeland for Mormons? Why not Discordians? Why not the Cult of the Spaghetti Flying Monster, for that matter?
"Their interpretation of the Talmud is the same thing as Radical Islams interpretation of the Koran."
You /would/ say that. Cheap false equivalence, amounting to an ad hominem.
"These Jews bought up land and worked it. The Jews who came after World War 2 were holocaust victims, so I doubt they were in the invading mood."
See also: Irgun, Stern Gang, Plan Dalet
Now back to reality.
Around the turn of the century on, there was considerable immigration of Jews both from Europe and other parts of Ottoman Empire . They came legally, to settle and work in this corner of the Ottoman empire.
There was also considerable labor immigration of Arabs and others attracted by work opportunities provided by new Jewish residents around the same time.
Migration of people is a fact of life in the world. some win, some lose in the process.
I wonder if you have a problem with current trend of Middle Eastern Muslims "invading" Europe and U.S..... lemme guess.
Get used to it.
Last time I checked, Muslim immigrants weren't trying to declare independence in swaths of Europe and the US and running people out of their homes with machine guns and davidkas.
There were NO arab immigration attracted by oppurtunities provided by jewish colonies. Jewish colonies only employed jewish labour. This is a well known fact. The precurser to the histadrut used to call it "the conquest of labour". How can you post such non-sense when you don't even know a very obvious fact of early zionist colonisation.
Lerner claims Israel is being singled out unfairly compared to Rwanda, China (Tibet) and Muslim countries (oppression of women and gays). "By singling out Israel, Ahmadinejad proves the case for many Israelis that the critique is not simply a matter of rational opposition to oppressive policies, but rather a manifestation of the very hatred that makes it imperative for Jews to protect themselves by any means necessary."
Nonsense. Rwanda, China, and many Muslim countries are not first-world nations populated by European immigrants with centuries-old traditions of enlightened, liberal, democratic thought and practice. They do not strut about declaring themselves the only democracy in a sea of despotic regimes. Chinese-Americans don't move to Tibet to build settlements on Tibetan land. African-Americans do not emigrate to Rwanda to occupy land seized from Tutsis. The US government doesn't subsidize the oppression of women by the Taliban. It is the Israelis and their supporters who single out Israel with their claims of moral supremacy. It is the contradiction of these claims with the fact that Jewish Europeans invaded and conquered Palestine and continue to hold the expelled natives under military occupation that make Israel stand out from all other examples of racism and oppression.
If zionists want to change the definition of anti-Semitism to mean 'criticism of Israel' they must be made aware it weakens the true definition of anti-Semitism.
They must also be made aware that many critics of israel are Jewish. Changing the definition of anti-Semitism for political reasons is lazy, cheap and doomed to fail because the stakes are just too high and the depth of feeling of Palestinian injustice too deep.
Its a label many critics are preparing to bear on their shoulders.
Not only does it weaken the real definition, but deliberately blurring the distinction between Judaism and Israel encourages Israel's enemies to hold diaspora jews responsible for Israel's behavior.
The question is; do the people in Israel and abroad who support the policies aimed at expanding the settlements and rendering the creation of a Palestine state unviable care about the dangers of such conflation? Or do they actually see it as an useful tool to both harden the position of their more moderate sympathizers, and shut down dissent?
"They must also be made aware that many critics of israel are Jewish. "
True,.
And also many critics of Israel are antisemitic. Purte and simple.
You can recognize them by obsessive indulgence in various antisemitic myths from Holocaust denial and "Jews control the world." Then a swift descent into denial that Jews ever lived in Israel or even that Jews are not really .Jews.
Among antisemites a myth is popular claiming that European Jews are really from steppes of Russia ( Khazars), therefore have no connection to Jews of the Ancient Israel.
For instance, Arafat exasperated Clinton his team by indulging in an antisemitic myth that the Jewish Temple is not really in Jerusalem but somewhere near Hebron.
The resolution of the issue cannot rest on 'Arabs/Palestinians recognizing Israels' eight to exist.'
That is a false cover for the matter addressed by UN resolution 190 ; compensation for the land Israel
has and is stealing from the Palestinians. If you recognize the state of Israel, you obviously accept it's boundaries. Palestinians would automatically forfeit the land, and any right to compensation for it.
It is a despicable ruse of the Israeli-first supporters to use this 'straw dog' as an excuse to persecute
Israel's minorities, and to continue to confiscate land.
I would like to know which part of Ahmadinejad's speech was un-truthful?
As the opening comments go to this article - one can see that there will never be peace in the Middle-East. This is a well written article that takes a balanced approach.
But those who write in only can see the conflict with tunnel vision.
Their goal is the detruction of Israel no more no less!
And how do you come up with the conclusion that "those who write in only can see the conflict with a tunnel vision. Their goal is the destruction of Israel no more no less".
shoo hal 3aalam hayy?!
Here we go again - any criticism of Israel is immediately deemed hate filled anti Semitism.
It's the Israeli leadership who have actually voiced oposition to peace - particularly over the past couple of days.
What Ahmdinejad sought to do was bring to the conference the racist tenets set within Zionism.
What did he say that was incorrect?
Maybe you can answer this question - what exactly did Jabotinsky mean when he talked - taking into consideration his role in the Zionist movement in Palestine - of blood purity? If that isn't alluding to racial purity then what is it?
Never let his opinions get in the way of facts!
Palestine was wiped off the map by the Israelies. Ahmadinejad said well documented and verifiable facts, Zionism is a movement that discriminates against anyone that is not a Jew.
Arabs living in Israel have more rights then anywhere in the Middle East especially in Iran. 85% said that they would rather live there over anywhere else.
There is no Zionist movement because there is already a homeland for Jewish people.
When someone says that "Zionism discriminates against anyone that is not a Jew" that is racist and a lie. Simply because minorities living in Israel have the same rights as the Jews living there.
"the oppression of women and gays in many Muslim countries".
I applaud Israel on the advancement of gay rights since the Wigstock Riots eleven years ago. Nevertheless, Israel is not quite up to Canadian standards when it comes to gay rights.
I also find it difficult that you would think that anyone would actually forget history and the gay community world wide swoon in sheer utter gratitude at the advancement in Israel since 1998, in this propagandistic effort to rally the gay community against the Arabs and Persians.
As for women, tell your story to Miriam Shear.
Israeli policies with regard to palestinians are considerably more than merely 'de facto' racist. They are de jure racist. Israel's racism is fundamental to its entire raison d'etre, and built in from its basic law (constitution) upwards.
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