January 29, 2010

An ideology of hate, racism and ethnic cleansing. Yes but which one?

An Arab member of Israel's parliament has made a speech on Holocaust Memorial Day condemning the holocaust and holocaust denial. Here's a piece of the speech from Ha'aretz:
"There is no more natural an occurrence than for the Knesset and all its factions to unite and mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day," Tibi said. "The forces of evil sent tens of millions of people - Jews, Soviets, Poles, Gypsies, and political rivals - to an awful death. This wasn't a simple death, but an industry of death, which was borne of an ideology of hate, racism, and ethnic cleansing."
And on holocaust denial:
"There is nothing more foolish or amoral than Holocaust denial," Tibi said. "For what purpose? What end is served exactly by those who do so? We are here in the era of realizing rights for self-determination and freedom, not dismantling states or peoples."

"People must stand courageously against instances of denial of the other, oppression of the other, denial of the Holocaust," Tibi said. "I, Ahmed Tibi, a tall, proud Arab, is happy to be on the same side as prominent Arab intellectuals who came out forcefully against Holocaust denial in the Middle East and other places around the world."
Curiously it was a Shas member of the Knesset who was removed for twigging that the condemnation of the holocaust could just as easily have been a condemnation of Israel:
Shas MK Nissim Ze'ev was evicted from the plenum after interrupting Tibi's remarks, accusing the MK of comparing Holocaust victims to those injured in Gaza.
I think these guys might be Shas supporters.

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