Today, on Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, as usual, took advantage of Jewish historic suffering to score a few cheap political points (the video of his Hebrew remarks is above). In this case, instead of speaking directly about the meaning of the Holocaust or plumbing the depths of this traumatic event in Jewish history, he exploited it for the sake of his own political benefit. In fact, Nir Hasson did a graphic that showed how much of the speech dealt with Iran and how little with the Holocaust:
Netanyahu’s Holocaust Memorial Day speech. Red is about the Holocaust. Yellow is Iran and ISIS. (via @nirhasson) pic.twitter.com/956ZmPa7go
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) April 16, 2015
Netanyahu pursued a trope he’s mined repeatedly over the years: that Iran is Nazi Germany; that today is 1938 and the west, via its negotiations with Iran, is about to sell Israel out at Munich as Neville Chamberlain did.
“As the Nazis strived to trample civilization and replace it with a ‘master race’ while destroying the Jewish people, so is Iran striving to take over the region and expand further with a declared goal of destroying the Jewish state…
In the past, Bibi’s claims have gone even further, saying that Iran intends to destroy not just Israel, but the entire Jewish people. Similarly, Shimon Peres, the developer of Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal, called an Iranian nuclear weapon a “flying Holocaust.”
I24 further quoted quoted Bibi in its coverage:
“Appeasing tyrannical regimes will only increase their aggression and…is liable to drag the world into larger wars.
Has the world really learned from the incomprehensible, universal and Jewish tragedy of the last century? I wish I could tell you that the answer is yes.
The bad deal with Iran signals that the lessons of the Holocaust have not been learned. Even if we are forced to stand alone against Iran we will not fear. In every circumstance we will preserve our right and our ability to defend ourselves…”
These historical claims are false and Iran’s leadership has never expressed an intent to destroy Israel, let alone the Jewish people. What’s further notable about the Israeli analogies is that they suggest Israelis and Jews are the world’s eternal victims. It is Israel, like European Jewry, hounded by its enemies. As we were sent to concentration camps and ovens, Israel’s enemies have the same plans in store (supposedly).
This is what Salo Baron, the 20th century’s pre-eminent scholar of Jewish history called “the lachrymose theory” of Jewish history. It is the erroneous view of Jewish existence through a vale of tears. It is reducing all of Jewish life and identity to a series of traumas. It suggests no agency, no positive identity or affirmation.
What is the truth in regards to Iran? That Israel’s assassins and covert agents have murdered Iranians on Iranian soil (and elsewhere in Lebanon and Syria as well). Israel has bombed Iranian military bases causing massive loss of life. Israel has funded Iranian dissident groups like Jundallah which committed terror attacks inside Iran. Israel has threatened countless times to attack Iran and unsuccessfully tried to persuade two presidents to join it in doing so. If anything, Iran has been the victim, not Israel.
So Israel’s claims are a distortion of fact. But they serve a useful purpose. How can you accuse a grieving widow of amassing a weapons arsenal that could kill not just her own neighborhood, but the entire town? She’s a victim. She’s in mourning. It’s unseemly to intrude upon her mourning with such uncomfortable facts. So the world treats Israel. When a nation is always suffering a trauma or anticipating one, you can’t possibly accuse it of being the aggressor, the oppressor. Quite an advantageous ploy.
Bibi’s remarks above are Iranophobic. This is not just a flip coinage. This is an important concept in the history of hate in the Middle East. Just as anti-Semitism led to the Holocaust, Iranophobia can set the stage for a military assault on Iran by Israel or the U.S. Iranophobia is hate just as anti-Semitism is. They are no different. Anyone who expresses Iran-hatred, as Netanyahu is, should be treated the same as an anti-Semite. Iranophobia has no place in civil discourse. It should be sanctioned just as misogyny, racism and anti-Semitism are.
It should go without saying that these remarks are yet another desperate ploy by Bibi to focus the world’s attention on Iran as villain. Iran as what Robert Oppenheimer called “Shiva, destroyer of worlds.” If you spin Iran as untrustworthy, as prospective genocidaire, then it’s impossible to sign a nuclear agreement with it. We must not buy into this false trope. Just as we must not allow Bibi or the Republican Congressional majority to sabotage this deal. If they do it is they who put the world in jeopardy, not Iran.
“so is Iran striving to take over the region and expand further with a declared goal of destroying the Jewish state…”
Well. Iran is striving to take over the region, via Shi’ite proxies. Iran is militarily involved in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, and Iran had declared Israel it’s enemy back in the Khomeini era.
“If anything, Iran has been the victim, not Israel.”
And what’s Israel’s equivalent to the bombing of the Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires?
Iran’s goal is regional hegemony. Israel can’t even plan that goal, much less achieve it.
Nonsense, Iran is merely combatting Israel’s attempt at miltiary hegemony over the region. It’s defending the rights of Muslims & Arabs on which Israel is trampling. Not only can’t Iran “take over the region,” it’s alleged proxies can’t either.
Is that why Khomeini traded with Israel to get missiles during its war against Iraq?? Some enemy!
WAY, WAY off topic. This subject has been raised ad nauseam by the likes of you hasbarists here for ages. It’s off topic & keep it that way.
Israel has indeed achieved it through serial wars with Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine & virtually any force or nation that get in its way.
As for Iran’s so-called “goal” of “regional hegemony.” Can you offer a shred of evidence in which an Iranian leader makes such a claim in those words or words close to them?
“Iran’s goal is regional hegemony” – I think the Saudis will beg for a difference
@ Tankist: And I trust the Saudis view of reality as much as I trust Bibi’s–that is, not at all.
Sorry to disagree with you Richard, but I trust Bibi MORE than I trust the House of Saud…can “Trust” go into negative numbers?
CIA and FBI cooperated with Jundallah, not Mossad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/09/world/despite-cia-fears-thomas-mchale-port-authority-officer-kept-sources-with-ties-to-iran-attacks.html?_r=0
Mark Perry’s 2012 Foreign Policy report was a ‘false flag’, which Richard is still waving.
@Hefe: False. While the CIA may’ve collaborated with Jundallah, Mossad did as well. Meir Dagan as much as admitted this in his TV interview with Dayan, about which I wrote a blog post & translated the relevant passage of the interview in which he says so (he doesn’t use the specific word “Jundallah” but admits Israel used ethnic divisions & factions to sow terror inside Iran)
I can’t find any confirmation in the Ilana Dayan interview(s). I believe you’ve confused the Dayan interview with the Nicholas Burns-Meir Dagan meeting in 8/07 that was Wikileaked.
“Force Regime Change: Dagan said that more should be done
to foment regime change in Iran, possibly with the support of
student democracy movements, and ethnic groups (e.g., Azeris,
Kurds, Baluchs) opposed to the ruling regime. ”
According to James Risen’s NYT article, the US was already involved with Jundallah in 2007.
Regardless, the above mentioned wikileak in no way proves that Israel ever had links with Jundallah.
@ Hefe: Of course it does. What is the main “ethnic group” willing to engage in terror to destabilize Iran? Jundallah. It’s well known the executed leader of Jundallah dallied with any intelligence agency willing to support his efforts to sabotage the regime. Israel worked with Jundallah.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/01/13/false-flag/
“A series of CIA memos describes how Israeli Mossad agents posed as American spies to recruit members of the terrorist organization Jundallah to fight their covert war against Iran.”
You’ve actually misconstrued the entire episode. It wasn’t CIA agents masquerading as Mossad spies, but Mossad agents masquerading as CIA, which conspired with Jundallah. I expect you to withdraw this false claim of yours as well. If not, you will be moderated.
I, and others, believe that Mark Perry was fed a false story by someone in the American intelligence community. The intent behind this ‘double false flag, was to shift suspicion of Jundallah links away from from the American intelligence community, and onto a convenient scapegoat, the Mossad.
Yes. Mossad did suggest to the US a linking with Jundallah, but that in no way means that Mossad followed through independently and forged links with Jundallah. Regardless, when Mossad made that suggestion, the US was ALREADY LINKED to Jundallah. (See Risen, above).
@ Hefe: So I asked you to acknowledge your claims were wrong. Instead, you offer a claim that you and “others” believe Mark Perry was lied to. On what basis? You have a source?You were Dagan’s key aide? You offer no proof of this. The rules here are: no proof, no credibility. You have none.
I’m sorry. You might as well tell me you & “others” believe in Immaculate Conception. You are pathetic.
http://fpif.org/dagan_could_not_have_set_foot_in_washington_again/
The Twitter image is very colorful and convincing… until you look at what he colored yellow.
– 1st, 2nd and last paragraphs in yellow are very generic and talking about evil.
– Last two sentences are about the duty to prevent another holocaust/genocide.
– Much of the center speaks about current Iranian threats.
You can’t say “NO MORE” without talking about the present and future. What should he speak of? The threat of reality-TV to kids’ IQ?
@ Tankist: You missed the point altogether, as usual. The speech was dedicated to the Holocaust and commemorating it. As such, it should’ve dealt largely with, and directly so, the history, suffering and meaning of the Holocaust. Not Iran. Not nuclear deals. Not his own political struggles with western powers who won’t acquiesce to his shrill carping.
He’s a vain, desperate, megalomaniac who will lead Israel to destruction.
N’Yahoo is leading Israel to destruction, in a very calculated, step by step fashion. I agree wholeheartedly with Gideon Levy who stated (paraphrasing) Israel cannot change from within. 97% of Israelis (all Jewish I assume) supported the bombing of Gaza last July-August. The mask is off. No 2 state solution per N’Yahoo on his watch. Duh! One state, citizenship with equal rights for all is the only solution. Otherwise expect Masada 2.0, coming soon.
Richard, it’s simply not true that “Iran’s leadership has never expressed an intent to destroy Israel”. See here for one example from last year: https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/531057306142650369
@djf: First, his tweet spoke of the Israeli “regime,” not “Israel.” A regime is a form of government, not the nation itself. Just as Israeli leaders have often tacitly or explicitly expressed a wish for regime change against Iran, so Iran returns the favor. Furthermore, Israel has often expressed its hatred for the Iranian regime with the added threat of taking military action against it. Iran’s leaders have never said that Iran itself would attack Israel, unless of course they were attacked first by Israel. Second, nothing in that tweet says that Iran plans or wishes to be the party to “annihilate” the Israeli “regime.”
I think when Israel’s leader compares you to the Nazis & says you wish to exterminate the entire Jewish people you, as an Iranian leader, have a right to be somewhat perturbed & respond (more or less) in kind.
“Iran’s leaders have never said that Iran itself would attack Israel” – you make a clear distinction between a country and a regime but then, the actions DONE BY THE REGIME such as arming Hezbollah and Hamas (and according to you – arming Assad which fight Israel “allays”, al-Nusra) are neglected and dismissed.
You can’t eat the cake and have it as well.
@ Tankist: Your first argument was, roughly, that Iran wants to exterminate Israel. Now, you’ve taken it down a notch or two & merely claim that Iran is arming Hezbollah and Hamas. I agree that Iran is probably arming Hezbollah. Evidence of arming Hamas (as opposed to supporting financially) is less clear. Regardless, neither Hezbollah nor Hamas threatens Israel’s existence in any way. They are thorns which could be removed once Israel resolves to seek and adhere to a peace agreement with the Palestinians & Syrians. Till that happens (& till Israel stops threatening to attack Iran), I’m afraid Israel will face such resistance from frontline states and militias.
The Blindly pro-Israelis have GOT to stop placing Iran as its implacable enemy and misquoting Iran’s leaders.
The ORIGINAL time when an Iranian leader used the words (to the effect) ‘Israel’ and “wiped from the face of the Earth” together, it was in context (removed by the Yahoo Israelis) that, “Like the White South African regime, Israeli regime should be wiped from the face of the Earth”.
I don’t know about others, but I say, “Bravo” to those sentiments.
Djf presented a Twitter quote that says substantially the same thing and the Blind Lobby wants to make sure everyone knows how much Iran hates Israel. What is wrong with wishing an end to a continuously evil regime in Israel, that has dispossessed the native people, comitted mass slaughtes and are in the process of a genocide of Palestinians?
The anti-Iran folks are so focussed on promoting hate and fear against Iran (as well as against Muslims and Arabs in general) that they forget that Iran is the ONLY Muslim country with a guaranteed reserved number of seats in Parliament, FOR JEWS! I am willing to be corrected, but I believe Iran may be the ONLY non-Jewish country to reserve seats for Jews in its parliament..
as a ruse…
As ‘lawn jockeys’.
Excellent comments, I would only add that the GoI’s insistence that the people they murder and oppress on the land they stole from them, recognize their right to exist is sick. Have the Palestinians, Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran made any such ridiculous demand? What’s this demand, really? It is ridiculous. If you’re here, you exist, period. What they’re really demanding is a continued blank check without repercussions for the evil they do. Does any other country in the world demand other countries recognize their right to exist? Just one of many obfuscations by the GoI. And could the US please find their spine and cut the GoI off, completely? N’Yahoo should be considered a war criminal by any civilized nation on earth.