Israel Matzav

Iran is attempting to become the new reich

Two disturbing pieces of news from Iran this morning point in the direction of Iranian leadership of world anti-Semitism and the apparent efforts of President Mahmoud Ahmadinadinnerjacket to become the new reich.

First, UN Secretary General Kofi Goofy Annan continues to play Neville Chamberlain by appeasing the Iranian President this afternoon, stating:

"On the nuclear issue, the president reaffirmed to me Iran's preparedness and commitment to hold negotiations with Western powers to find a solution to the impasse over Teheran's nuclear activities," Annan told a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki.

However, Ahmadinejad "reiterated that he did not accept suspension before negotiations," the UN chief said conveying Iran's rejection of a condition set by the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany.

Ahmadinejad did not attend the press conference or give any statements. On Saturday - the first day of Annan's visit - he reiterated that Teheran would continue its nuclear activities.

You will all recall that on Saturday, Annan counseled having 'patience' with Hitler's potential successor.

Also today, just to make sure that Goofy can't miss the point, Iran announced that it will go ahead and sponsor a conference to examine the 'scientific evidence supporting the Holocaust' in the autumn. Iran dismisses the Holocaust as 'exaggerated.'

The move to proceed with the conference came as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan allegedly raised concerns with Iranian officials over an exhibition of cartoons about the Holocaust. In Hebrew there's an expression called to be "m'tzaftzef" on someone. It means to respond to someone's concern with contempt. If Annan actually expressed 'concern,' we would say in Hebrew that Ahmadinadinnerjacket "tziftzef alav."

But fear not. Goofy managed to appease Ahmadinadinnerjacket some more while raising his 'concern':

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said that because the Holocaust is a scientific issue, both opponents and proponents of the existence of the Holocaust could participate.

"God willing, a conference on the Holocaust will be held in the autumn. The Holocaust is not a sacred issue that one can't touch," he told reporters. "I have visited the Nazi camps in Eastern Europe. I think it is exaggerated," Asefi said.

Asefi did not disclose where the Holocaust conference would be held, nor who would attend. Iran first raised the possibility of the conference in January.

Annan brought up the exhibit that opened in response to Muslim outrage over the Prophet Muhammad caricatures. In talks Saturday with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, said Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi.

Annan told Mottaki "we should avoid anything that incites hatred" according to Fawzi.

The Holocaust cartoon exhibit opened last month at Teheran's Caricature House, with 204 entries from Iran and abroad.

The cartoons were submitted after the exhibit's co-sponsor, the Hamshahri newspaper, said it wanted to test the West's tolerance for drawings about the Nazis' mass murder of European Jews during World War II. The entries on display came from nations including United States, Indonesia and Turkey.

Good old moral equivalence strikes again.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:00 PM