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Chirol
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Chirol

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December 8th, 2005

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A Modest Proposal

Today’s too funny not to post story comes from everyone’s favorite politician, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

Iran’s president says move Israel

Iran’s conservative president has said that Israel should be moved to Europe. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that if Germany and Austria felt responsible for the Jewish Holocaust, they should give up land to make room for Israel. “You oppressed them, so give a part of Europe to the Zionist regime so they can establish any government they want,” he said on a visit to Mecca.

One thing’s for sure, that man doesn’t stay out of the news for long.

(Hat tip: Grendel)

Comments to this entry

Younghusband
December 8, 2005
6:53 pm
LOL. Maybe someone should start a blog like the "Deer Leader":http://www.livejournal.com/users/kim_jong_il__/
Nathan
December 8, 2005
10:24 pm
You know what? Screw the BBC. They conveniently left out that the remark came along with him saying the Holocaust never happened.

"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail."

"Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?" he said.

"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe -- like in Germany, Austria or other countries -- to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe. You offer part of Europe and we will support it."


So, in a way, I suppose he's saying the Holocaust is a ruse to give justification for Western support of Israel. And, were he to be honest, then I suppose that would mean Israel shouldn't be moved.

One of the few ways he could have made this worse is by saying that Israel should be moved to Madagascar.
lirelou
December 8, 2005
11:59 pm
Somehow, I immediately heard Klaus Kinkel's character in "THe Little Drummer Girl" saying: "No thank you. We tried that once, and it wasn't very successful..." One of the very best films of all time on terrorism, by the way, along with "Proof of Life".
Kirk H. Sowell
December 9, 2005
3:17 am
In re to Nathan's "screw the BBC" point, I just happened to see Al-Jazeera's news brief on this a few hours ago. I didn't catch the full report - assuming there was one - but the reporter said that in Ahmadinejad's speech he "said that he doubted the reality of the Holocaust." Clearly they knew a headline when they saw one.

In light of the fact that the BBC now plans an Arabic-language TV channel to compete with Al-Jazeera, I was wondering how Arab viewers will react. Maybe they will decided that the BBC is too anti-Israel, and that they need to watch Al-Jazeera to get a Fair & Balanced perspective.
xiwangmu
December 9, 2005
5:11 am
It all depends on which gallery you are playing to. He was in Mecca, and obviously stumping for support from the Islamic world, and sympathisers to the Palestinian cause. To us, it would make sense, though too outlandish to implement.
And he's tactful enough, too, not to offend the British - he could have mentioned Lord Balfour, rather than blame the Germans or Austrians.
But don't get upset because he denies the Holocaust. The Chinese are constantly chastised for ``over-reacting'' to Japanese rightist denial of Nanjing and motley other atrocities.
Kirk H. Sowell
December 9, 2005
5:58 am
Okay, now here is something interesting: On the English version of their website, Al-Jazeera's report just says that Ahmadinejad brought up the issue of Holocaust denial, but then contains a clear and explicit statement about how the Nazis murdered millions of Jews.

On the Arabic version, on the other hand, Al-Jazeera gives a detailed account of Ahmadinejad's rejection of the happening of the Holocaust, but there is no explicit statement making clear that he was wrong. The Arabic version doesn't deny that it happened, but it just references the Holocaust on then moves on. I think they were trying to avoid offending some of their viewers.

I've tried to parse the Arabic version and try and figure out how an Arabic speaker who already doubted the Holocaust would interpret the report. My post is here. I think they were ambigious enough that one who believed in the Holocaust wouldn't think they were denying it, but one who didn't believe it wouldn't be challenged, either. Maybe the BBC is better.
Chief Wiggum
December 9, 2005
10:51 pm
Ah, yes- it's time for the rancid resurrection of the "Madagascar Plan." The President of Iran is in good historical company.

This was an idea that had been kicking around since the 1890s, to forcibly remove all Jews from Europe and resettle them in Madagascar. That way, they could be controlled better and not allowed to contaminate the rest of the world.

In May 1940, Heinrich Himmler advocated sending the Jews to Madagascar. About this plan, Himmler stated:

_However cruel and tragic each individual case may be, this method is still the mildest and best, if one rejects the Bolshevik method of physical extermination of a people out of inner conviction as un-German and impossible."_ (Heinrich Himmler as quoted in Christopher Browning, "Madagascar Plan" Encyclopedia of the Holocaust Ed. Israel Gutman (New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1990) 936.)

_The Nazis had been expecting a quick end to the war so that they could transfer European Jews to Madagascar. But as the Battle of Britain lasted much longer than planned and with Hitler's decision in the fall of 1940 to invade the Soviet Union, the Madagascar Plan became unfeasible. Alternate, more drastic, more horrific solutions were being proposed to eliminate the Jews of Europe. Within a year, the killing process had begun._

I have read accounts of some Germans who blame the resulting extermination of Jews in Europe on the British and Russians.
Lane G
December 12, 2005
3:43 am
One thing's for sure, that man doesn't stay out of the news for long.

Without a doubt a true statement.

President Ahmadinejad is proving too radical even for some Iranian conservatives.

Another news story about how Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is shaking up the Iranian government. Seems like he really is a populist outsider instead of a stealth puppet candidate of the ayatollas. Trouble is, he's more radical than they are.
ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » German Foreign Policy Turning?
December 14, 2005
3:26 pm
[...] Next up is everyone’s favorite Iranian who has just repeated his claim that the holocaust is a complete myth: “They have created a myth today that they call the massacre of Jews and they consider it a principle above God, religions and the prophets,” he said. On live TV, he called for Europe or North America – even Alaska – to host a Jewish state, not the Middle East. [...]