Iranians Protest Ahmadinejad "Holocaust Conference"

As another sign that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration is losing popular support, a sizable amount of Iranian activists published today a statement condemning Ahmadinejad's two-day "Holocaust Conference" in December, which brought together well-known Holocaust deniers and others who have said the Nazi genocide has been blown out of proportion.

Here is a blurb from what went out on the wires:

Activists Condemn Iran Holocaust Meeting

Friday, January 19, 2007

NEW YORK — In a statement to be published next week, more than 100 Iranian activists outside that country have condemned its recent conference questioning the Holocaust.

The activists signed the statement blasting the Iranian government and paying homage to victims of the Nazi regime. The activists expressed frustration over the relative silence on the subject from the Iranian diaspora.

The statement notes that the activists signed notwithstanding their "diverse views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." The signers include Azar Nafisi, who wrote the best-seller "Reading Lolita in Tehran."

"I thought it was inappropriate to use the Holocaust as a political issue," Nafisi said. "I thought that Iranians, especially non-Jewish Iranians, had a responsibility to say, 'Not in my name.'"

Some Iranians outside Iran have avoided publicly condemning the conference because they were concerned about being viewed as pro-Israeli - one reason the statement avoids taking sides on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said Ladan Boroumand, a historian who began circulating the statement.

"This is a matter that's above political dissent," she said.

Do We See Some Daylight in Iran?

Today’s New York Times reports that their may be a slight rift between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As you may know, Ahmadinejad was voted President over a year ago on a populist platform, vowing to redistribute wealth for the Iranian people, among other things. He has since caused alarm in the world by accelerating Iran’s nuclear program (in defiance of UN resolutions) calling for the destruction of Israel and perpetuating the denial of the Holocaust.

However, it is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who is the true power in Iran. As much as the President may announce and declare, it is Khamenei and his counsel that dictate policy. And the general impression has been that Khamenei had endorsed Ahmadinejad’s action, simply by allowing Ahmadinejad to continue.

That may be coming to an end. As the New York Times reports, Ahmadinejad may be coming under pressure from the highest authorities in Iran to end its nuclear program, or at least modify its aggressiveness and be more flexible with the West. Two newspapers, one owned by Khamenei, have stated for the President to remove himself from all nuclear matters. It seems that strong business entities and diplomatic forces have appealed to the highest Iranian powers to stem Ahmadinejad from continuing what they feel are harmful actions to Iran.

What needs to be seen is whether this is a true shift in Iranian policy, or whether this is just a play by Ahmadinejad and Khamenei to appear to soften its stance to the West and buy more time to develop their nuclear weapons.

Olmert and Peretz Must Go

In the wake of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz’s resignation, many voices within Israel have begun to call for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz to leave their positions. I join in this chorus.

We can focus on the failures of the latest Lebanon war. We can point to the endemic corruption within Israel. But what is most striking to me is the comments coming not from within Israel, but from its enemies.

Senior Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri said that Halutz's resignation and an imminent investigation against Olmert "prove the Zionist government is weak," and should spur Palestinians "to continue resistance and jihad."

Israeli Army Radio quoted Hezbollah as saying that the army chief's departure proved the Iranian-backed group's victory over Israel in second Lebanon war last year.

Israel needs to ensure that it does not lose its edge against its enemies. The Lebanon war this past summer was just a warm up for the bigger war, involving Iran, Syria and possibly others. The silver lining may read that it was a much needed wake up call, allowing Israel to prepare for the bigger military battles that await her. Israel cannot afford to labor through a tired, corrupt government that does not bolster the confidence of the nation. Israel needs to grow stronger, not more tired. Olmert and Peretz must go.

Israel Must Last Forever

Why write such a title? Why must we even consider such a thought as Israel no longer existing?

What would the world be like without Israel? Would all of the problems of the Middle East at once be solved? Will the Arabs and Middle East Muslims, amidst the rubble of Israel, finally find pluralism, democracy, human rights, reform . . . . ? I find that unlikely - without an Israel, the Middle East bullies will search for some other scapegoat, someone else to paper over the fact that te Arab nations, Iran and the extreme Islamic movements do little for their people in terms of education and economic development.

I bring this up after reading an interesting piece in Ha'Artez by Bradley Burston. Do Palestinians really feel that they can just wait and wait and wait and wait for one day, one day when Israel will no longer exist, when Iranian President Ahmadinehad will actually make good on his words, when Hamas will fulfill their charter, when the Arab world will finally redeem itself after having been defeated by the Jewish State? Should I expect this conflict to outlive me, my children, my grandchildren . . .

Israel's Free Press Shackled by Reporters Without Borders

Even when Israel does well, its praise is stunted.

Take for example the latest assessement by Reporters Without Borders. For its 2006 Annual Report on Israel, RWB initially praised Israel in the first line and a half, saying "The Israeli media were once again in 2005 the only ones in the region that had genuine freedom to speak out." Wow! . . . not many international organizations, private or governmental, go on record with such praise for the Jewish State.

But when you read the next 21 lines, you see that after getting the initial good feelings out of the way, RWB proceeds to bash Israel for its apparent treatment of reporters in the Palestinian territories. RWB states how Awad Rajoub, a Palestinian journalist, was arrested in November 2006 by Israel. Israel claims that Rajoub, a cousin of Palestinian Authority (PA) official Jibril Rajoub, possessed particular information that the security services required.

RWB also cites how (i) Nabil al-Mazzawi, an Al-Jazeera cameraman on the West Bank, was beaten on by Israeli soldiers after he filmed a demonstration against the wall separating Israel and the Palestinian territories; (ii) Majdi al-Arabid, cameraman for the Israeli Channel 10 TV station, was woundedby gunfire as he filmed Israeli troops entering Beit Hanoun, north of Gaza and (iii) French journalist Houda Ibrahim, of the radio station RMC Moyen-Orient, who had been sent by the French government to train Palestinian journalists, was refused entry to the West Bank from Jordan on 3 July.

I am in no position to determine whether Israel was right or wrong in these situations, whether it was Israeli army (or Palestinian terrorist) bullets that hit al-Arabid, whether there were security concerns around Rajoub's situation or whether Ibrahim was rightfully refused entry. RWB does not expand on this either.

What I will say is that I wished RWB, instead of parsing out blame for these four seperate instances, rather focused on the open and free press within Israel. Please tell us more about the "genuine freedom" of press in Israel. What form did it take, what were some of the daring exposes written, what scandals and abuses of power were unearthed?

When the rest of the reports concerning Middle East countries include descriptions such as "the media is totally controlled by the regime" (Lybia), "the country is one the world’s harshest towards press freedom" (Saudi Arabia) or "violence against journalists increased in 2005" (Palestinian territories), it would be nice to see RWB focus on how Israel positively affects the world's open press.

One line of niceties is not enough.