Here's a great article by Ephraim Karsh, author of Fabricating Israeli History, at TNR: Iran says it wants to destroy Israel, why is everyone shocked -Repeat Offenders.
Karsh welcomes the world's criticism of Ahmadinejad's call to utterly annihilate Israel but wonders what the motivation behind the international communities' condemnation is.
Karsh highlights the litany of Arab calls to destroy Israel since the establishment of Israel in 1948 and questions the world's sudden harsh response after decades of quiet acquiescence.
Karsh suggests that the condemnations may be driven by the West's frustration with Iran's dogged drive towards nuclear capabilities rather than a concern for the safety of Israel.
The U.N. Charter was introduced in 1945, and since that time Arab and Muslim leaders have expressed the desire to obliterate the Jewish state with impressive regularity. No sooner was the State of Israel proclaimed on May 14, 1948 than it was invaded by neighboring Arab states, with Arab League Secretary-General Abdel Rahman Azzam proclaiming that "this will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades." |
Go read it all.
Personally, I found it particularly shocking because the president of Iran called for it.
It's one thing for Imam's in mosques to call for an end to Zionist oppression.
It's one thing for anti-semitism to be taught in mosque and school.
It's all sickening.
It's quite another thing for the Iranian president to publicly call for Israel's annihilation.
It's not that I'd expect the hard-line president to be any more lucid or tolerant than his people, but I would expect him to act with more diplomatic savvy.
Saying what he did... he has shown what he is; an inexperienced and politically dangerous fundamentalist fundy with an ambition to acquire nuclear weapons. He is far more dangerous than any Imam could ever be.
Posted by: James Clark | November 02, 2005 at 21:33
Yeah wheres the outrage where the condemnation from the UN and the liberal left-wing news media? wheres the call from politicians that IRAN appoligise for it?
Posted by: BIRDZILLA | November 03, 2005 at 04:48
Wheres the call from the M&G that the Muslim population in SA apologise for not condemning it?
They had an article i think last year where they called for the Jews in SA to stand up and publicly condemn Ariel Sharon and his government.
Posted by: Jodi | November 03, 2005 at 08:45
Hey, not even the South African government has condemned it.
*sigh*
Posted by: James Clark | November 03, 2005 at 15:34