Monday, June 04, 2007
Iran Ups the Pressure on Israel
Iran and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stepped up the pressure against Israel this weekend, both with public statements and a new TV series aimed at fostering anti-Zionist sentiment. Along with the unpredictable future of neighboring Lebanon and the improved weaponry of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, there can’t help but be concern inside Israel and throughout the Jewish community worldwide.
On Sunday, Ahmadinejad indicated that the Lebanese and Palestinians had pressed “the countdown button” on the destruction of the state of Israel. Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israeli rhetoric has been the cause of much concern since his election two years ago, but his recent speech seems to be stepping up the threats.
"By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future. If you make a mistake and create another war against the oppressed Lebanese nation, this time the angry ocean of the nations of the region will remove your rotten ... roots from the region.”
Already, the military support from Iran has served to thoroughly destabilize the Lebanese government, and threatens to create Israel’s most hostile border. And recent improvements in the accuracy of missiles being fired from Gaza, also credited to technology from Iran, have created chaos in southern Israel. One can only expect that Iran will continue to provide support to anti-Zionist organizations, and further destabilize Israel.
To increase legitimacy for Iran’s recent moves with the Iranian people, Iranian state television is airing a new series called “A Zero Degree Turn” aimed at promoting Ahmadinejad’s version of the Holocaust and the birth of Israel. Basically, the show promotes the concept that Israel is the result of a European problem, and the Jewish people should be relocated back to Europe.
The early episodes of the show focus on an Iranian man and Jewish woman who are friends. The Jewish woman, Sarah Struck, is concerned about the growing power of the Nazis after her father is killed, and her whole family fears for their future. The show focuses on the economic power of the Jewish people, the war being forced on Germany because of the growing Jewish power, and ignores the role of the Jewish philosophers and early Zionists.
The show portrays Iran as traditionally a friend to the Jewish people, while presenting Europe as racist and persecuting the Jewish people. Still, the show denotes a clear anti-Zionist viewpoint, which is obviously the reason the show has been created in the first place. The show’s bias is stated clearly by Sarah’s uncle, Rabbi Weiss:
"External pressures are trying to settle the Jews and the Muslims together, and it is impossible. The Jewish fate has always been complicated and difficult. The solution is not emigration to Arab countries, where there are Arab citizens."
It has become clear during Ahmadinejad’s term that the destruction of the State of Israel is a priority. This threat, however, is not only to Israel itself, but as the West’s greatest ally in the Middle East, it is a threat to the United States and our European allies. This situation definitely bears watching, as Iran becomes a greater danger to the Israel and to the world in general.
Posted by Scottage at 2:22 AM /
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