The Case Against Israel
The
following are excerpts from pages 250 – 260 of IRAN and the UNITED STATES: An Insider’s View
on the Failed Past and the Road to Peace by Seyed
Hossein Mousavian, a former
Iranian diplomat. The points he makes are
widely held in the Middle East. The whole book is worth reading.
“Israel is a
non-Muslim state that has taken over Muslim lands by force, with the support of
world powers. Neither the Palestinians, nor the Arabs and Muslims as a whole,
bear any responsibility for the mass murders carried out by the Nazi regime in
Germany against the Jews, gypsies, communists and others during the Second
World War. The responsibility for those
horrible crimes against humanity that took place in Europe lies with their
perpetrators. Iran’s government considers
it unjust that Palestinians should be uprooted from their homes and nation in
order to compensate the victims of Nazi atrocities. The creation of millions of new victims in
Palestine, in order to compensate the victims of past crimes in Europe, runs
counter to reason and morality….
“Despite
the fact that millions of Palestinians are scattered throughout the Middle East
and around the globe, Israel denies Palestinians the right to return to their
homeland. In contrast, Israel’s government continues to encourage Jewish
immigration to their country from all over the world, offering financial
incentives, job placements, and housing grants.
The Israeli Law of Return grants every Jew, wherever he or she may be,
the right to come to Israel as an oleh (a Jew immigrating to Israel) and become an Israeli
citizen – effective on the day of arrival in the country….
“During
the Shah’s rule in Iran, Israel maintained very warm and close relations with
him. Israeli interests in Iran, as a
non-Arab state, became prominent as early as the 1950’s, when Mossad cooperated with the CIA in establishing Iran’s
brutal secret service, the SAVAK. A 1979 CIA report noted that “The main
purpose of the Israeli relationship with Iran was the development of a
pro-Israel and anti-Arab policy on the part of the Iranian officials. Mossad has engaged
in joint operations with SAVAK over the years since the late 1950’s.
“The closeness and cooperation between Israel and the Shah was
deeply offensive to the religious forces operating in Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini’s June 3, 1963 speech,
which many analysts identify as the event that ignited the first widespread,
religious-political movement that led to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran,
sparked three days of serious rioting throughout Iran. The theme of the speech was, “The Shah and
Israel; the root of people’s suffering in Iran.” Ayatollah Khomeini had said on
that occasion:
“’I was informed today
that a number of preachers were taken to the offices of SAVAK and were told
that they could speak about anything they chose other than three subjects: they
were not to say anything bad about the Shah; not to attack Israel; and not to
say that Islam is endangered…Israel does not wish the Quran to exist in this
country. Israel does not wish the ulama [high
ranking clergy] to exist in this country. Israel does not wish to see Islamic
precepts in this country. It was Israel that assaulted the Madrasa by means of its sinister agents. It [Israel] wishes to seize your
economy, to destroy your trade and agriculture and to appropriate your
wealth. Anything which proves to be a
barrier, or blocks its path, is to be removed by means of its agents. The Quran
is blocking its path; it must be removed. The religious establishment is
blocking its path; it too must be removed; Fayziya [Madrasa]
is blocking its path; it must be destroyed. The religious students might later
prove to be barriers; they must be flung from the roof and their arms and necks
broken. We are affronted by our very own government, which assists Israel in
achieving its objectives by obeying her command.’
“The Iranian
leadership is firmly of the belief that Israel’s long-term goal is either to
destroy the Islamic world or to silence it, creating a resistance-free
environment for aggression and expansion.
“One of the primary objectives of
Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian Revolution’s leader, and his followers within
the revolution’s leadership, was to revive ‘Islam’s dignity.’ Israel’s
aggressive policies toward the Palestinians and apparent
general disrespect for Muslims has fostered a hatred of the Israeli
government, especially its hardline elements. The
apparent willingness of the United States to offer Israel unconditional support
in these circumstances only makes anti-Israel and anti-US sentiment more
entrenched. As a consequence, the view of the Iranian nezam [system or order] might be summarized as follows: ‘After more than
forty years of occupation; demolition of people’s homes in Jerusalem, the West
Bank, and the Gaza Strip; and the humiliation and oppression of the
Palestinians, who played no role in the atrocities against the Jewish people,
the US government – under the influence of Israel – exhibits no sign of
sympathy toward the Palestinian people and their plight. Instead, the US steadfastly supports any
action of the Israeli government.’ Stephen Walt, the respected American
academic, has echoed this view:
“’The protracted
failure of U.S. policy on the Israel – Palestine issue [goes] back several
decades. That’s not news, of course. What has changed in the past
few years is that the [Israel] lobby’s operations and its harmful influence are
now out in the open for all to see, which makes it almost impossible to make
the old arguments that Israel is a ‘vital strategic asset’ or a country that ‘shares
our values’ with a straight face, or to convince anyone who’s not already in
agreement… The United States has backed Israel no matter what it did because
the AIPAC [American Israel Public
Affairs Committee] and the other groups in the lobby have enormous influence
inside the Beltway [i.e. Washington] and use that muscle to defend Israel
whenever its government’s policies clash with America’s interests.’
“America’s position, as described,
has served only to intensify the degree of hostility between Iran and the US on
the one hand, and Iran and Israel on the other. Contrary to the American
calculation, its own policy has in fact become a major obstacle to peace and
stability in the Middle East.
Unqualified and consistent support for Israel is undoubtedly a major
reason for the growth of anti-American sentiment and Islamic extremism
throughout the region. As long as this dynamic remains unchanged, hardliners in
Iran will remain relevant and more effectively be able
to plead their case for non-compromise and non-cooperation with the US.
“In the majority of UN Security
Council resolutions relating to Israel, the United States has been Israel’s
lone supporter. Resolutions have
therefore been blocked – many relating to attempts to halt Israeli military
action or its policies, or to provide humanitarian aid – by America’s (sic)
unyielding position in relation to Israel.”
Return
to Institute of Election Analysis Home Page