The State of the Jews » Iran

Now from Apple: Poke Ahmadinejad in the nose

Haviv — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:28:46 +0000

This is an ad for an iPhone app by an Israeli news portal called “Walla!” The iPhone is newly-arrived on Israel’s shores and has caused a stir in local media. I don’t know if Apple came up with this campaign, but since they’re very controlling with this stuff, I’ll let them get the credit.

Poking Ahmadinejad in the nose is a brilliant way to get Israelis interested in iPhones, imho. The tagline reads “To Touch the News.”

Ahmadinejad accepts criticism, but not in Farsi

Haviv — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:31:03 +0000

What can I say? My friend David Keyes has something against tyrants:

It’s hard to believe in light of this Internet repression, but Iran’s president is himself a blogger. “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Personal Memos” is the place where he goes to vent and stay in touch with the common folk. He says he allots himself 15 minutes a week to write on his blog, but admits that at times he exceeds this limit.

Ahmadinejad wrote of his blog that “The magnitude of the reception and acclamation from the viewers was beyond expectations.” It is a half truth at best. The English version of the site is full of scathing critiques by readers. Nicholas from the United States writes “You’re one of the most stupid president [sic] ever. I’m sure about half of the comments posted on this blog are just totally fake and used as propaganda.” Gary from Great Britain adds “Why would anybody want to listen to you. You’re suppressive.” Jack opines: “I hope someone puts a bullet in your head very soon.”

What sort of tyrant allows for open debate and harsh critique on the front-page of his own blog? Someone who has clearly studied the playbook of Yasser Arafat. The Palestinian leader mastered the art of offering platitudes about peace in English while simultaneously rallying his people to jihad in Arabic.

I asked one of Britain’s leading Iranian bloggers to help me translate the Farsi version of Ahmadinejad’s Memos. His homepage in Farsi contained not a single negative comment by readers. The closest one gets to criticism is “Homayan” who wrote prior to the June election: “Last night by seeing your supporters in the streets I realized that you will win. I wanted to say as someone who opposed you to congratulate you . . . I had a lot of criticism but I feel none of them are that important to stop me from voting for you. It’s interesting to me how you turned your opponent into your supporter.” One Canadian-Iranian student gushed: “I am proud to be the citizen of a country who has a brave President like Ahmadinejad.”

Though the Islamic Republic of Iran desperately wants to be seen as a world power, all the military parades, blustering rhetoric, and menacing threats cannot drown out the fact that the government in Tehran is terrified of men and women typing on computers.

What pro-gay, pro-Israel and Brazilian looks like

Haviv — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:57:52 +0000

Looks like a fun party.

Anti-Ahmadinejad protest in Rio de Janeiro last week, where demonstrators carried Brazilian, Israeli and gay pride flags.

Hat tip: Tom Gross.

Iran's new minister of media: Holocaust denier

Haviv — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:05:14 +0000

The Teheran Holocaust Denial Conference, December 2006, organized by Ramin (www.terrorism-info.org.il)

In case you missed it, Tom Gross caught it on Wednesday:

Not only did Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, today say that negotiating with the United States would be a “naive and perverted” thing to do (Khamenei revealed President Obama has approached him several times through oral and written messages which he has not replied to).

Not only did Israeli commandos today intercept a ship carrying hundreds of tons of Iranian weapons intended for Hezbollah in Lebanon – the biggest ever seizure of arms on their way from Iran to its client terrorist militia, Hezbollah, which Iran plans to use as one element in its attempt to wipe the Jewish state off the map (BBC story and video here).

Mohammad Ali Ramin
Not only did Iran brutalize pro-democracy demonstrators once again on the streets of major Iranian cities today (there are several videos if you scroll down here from France 24, and a report here by BBC Persian).

But in addition Iran has appointed as its new deputy culture minister, in charge of media and communications, Mohammad-Ali Ramin, who previously served as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s top advisor on Holocaust matters and is known as “the brain” behind the president’s strategy of Holocaust denial.

Incidentally, an interesting piece on the possible philosophical roots of Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial ran in the Forward last month. You should read it.

Kasparov: Don't be so sure about Russia

Haviv — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:20:09 +0000

Russia is not on our side when it comes to Iran, according to chess champion and anti-Putin dissident Garry Kasparov.

Washington’s conciliatory steps have given the Kremlin’s rulers confidence they have nothing to fear from Mr. Obama on anything that matters.

And nothing matters more to Mr. Putin and his oligarchs than the price of oil. Even with oil at $70 a barrel, Russia’s economy is in bad straits. Tension in the Middle East, even an outbreak of war, would push energy prices higher. A nuclear-armed Iran would, of course, be harmful to Russian national security, but prolonging the crisis is beneficial to the interests of the ruling elite: making money and staying in power.

The Obama administration’s foreign policy has directed a great deal of optimism and good will toward friends and foes. Such a cheery outlook is commendable as long as it does not clash with reality. Unfortunately, there were several clashes in the past week.

…

Like many Russians, I was encouraged by Mr. Obama’s inspirational speech in Moscow last July, but he must know there is more to statesmanship than printing money and making speeches. Inflated rhetoric, like inflated currency, can lead to disaster. The goodwill bubble Mr. Obama is creating will burst unless there are real results soon.

Were Iranian scientists 'kidnapped' by the West?

Haviv — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:51:28 +0000

Manouchehr Mottaki

There’s a lot of talk lately about a few Iranian nuclear scientists who may have defected – or who had defection thrust upon them – to the US.

The Iranian regime-run website Tabnak quotes Asharq Alawsat (cleaned up translation):

Asharq Alawsat quoted Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying, “We will present our complaint regarding the kidnapping of our nuclear scientists to international organizations.”

The London-based Arab newspaper added: “Mottaki believes that the four Iranian nuclear experts have been kidnapped and that they are presently being held by the US in a country of the US’s choosing.” Based on the report, an individual by the name of Shahram Amiri is believed by Mottaki to have been kidnapped last month in Saudi Arabia and so far has not been heard from.

Mottaki also claims that Alireza Asgari, former deputy defense minister, was also kidnapped in Turkey. The third individual, known only as Ardebili, is said to have been kidnapped in Georgia. The fourth nuclear scientist allegedly kidnapped is Nasrollah Tajik, the former Iranian ambassador to the UK.

Asharq Alawsat also claims that these four were the source for the discovery by Western intelligence of the second uranium enrichment installation near Qom, and that the Islamic Republic is extremely upset by this development. Though the news of Shahram Amiri’s kidnapping has been previously discussed by a Mottaki spokesman, it is the first time anything has been publicized about Ardebili.

On September 8, the Kayhan news service quoted the government-controlled Press TV about one of the missing scientists:

Saudis Not Cooperative on Missing Pilgrim

TEHRAN (Press TV) – Iran said on Monday that it has not received any clear response from Saudi Arabia’s officials regarding a missing Iranian pilgrim.
“We have provided Saudi Arabia’s police, security officials and Hajj Organization with all information and documents regarding the pilgrim (Shahram Amiri) who went missing in the Saudi land,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said.
“But, we have not received any clear response from Saudi Arabia’s officials regarding the case,” he went on to say.

And finally, Meir Javedanfar wondered yesterday about the significance of these media stories:

In the current war of intelligence between Iran and West, distinguishing between rumors and real genuine breakthroughs is sometimes difficult. The case of Mr. Amiri and Ardebili are a perfect example. The West could have scored major victories, if they are nuclear scientists. However at the same time, it may at the end be proved that both were innocent cases which received excessive media coverage.

Ahmadinejad…not a Jew

Haviv — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:11:09 +0000

Meir Javedanfar (Reuters)

Iran analyst Meir Javedanfar pokes so many holes in the Daily Telegraph story about Ahmadinejad’s Jewish origins that, well, it sinks.

Upon closer inspection, a completely different interpretation of “Sabourjian” emerges. According to Robert Tait, a Guardian correspondent who travelled to Ahmadinejad’s native village in 2005, the name “derives from thread painter – sabor in Farsi – a once common and humble occupation in the carpet industry in Semnan province, where Aradan is situated”. This is confirmed by Kasra Naji, who also wrote a biography of Ahmadinejad and met his family in his native village. Carpet weaving or colouring carpet threads are not professions associated with Jews in Iran.

According to both Naji and Tait, Ahmadinejad’s father Ahmad was in fact a religious Shia, who taught the Quran before and after Ahmadinejad’s birth and their move to Tehran. So religious was Ahmad Sabourjian that he bought a house near a Hosseinieh, a religious club that he frequented during the holy month of Moharram to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hossein.

Moreover, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s mother is a Seyyede. This is a title given to women whose family are believed to be direct bloodline descendants of Prophet Muhammad.

I stand by my question from yesterday about the possibility of a Jewish past for the Holocaust-denying theocrat: Who cares?

Do US Jews support an attack on Iran's nukes?

Haviv — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:18:22 +0000

The American B-1B strategic bomber - I'm just saying...

So claims a brand new American Jewish Committee survey:

The AJC survey revealed that 56% of American Jews would support, and 36% would oppose, United States military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. A year ago, the AJC survey found that 42% would support the U.S. taking military action against Iran, while 47% were opposed.

And, in another sign of heightening concern about Iran’s nuclear program, 66 percent would support, and 28 percent would oppose, Israel taking military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

On the peace process:

In response to a new AJC survey question, 94% of American Jews agree that the Palestinians should be “required to recognize Israel as a Jewish state in a final peace agreement.”

Demonstrating American Jews’ skepticism of Arab intentions regarding Israel, 75% agree, and 19% disagree, with the statement, “The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel.” In the 2007 survey, 82% agreed and 12% disagreed.

Nonetheless, regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, 49% favor that outcome, and 41% are opposed. In AJC’s 2007 survey, 46% were in favor and 43% opposed.

On settlements:

The AJC survey found that a majority, 51% of U.S. Jews, disagree with the Obama Administration’s call for a stop to all new Israeli settlement construction, while 41% agree with that tactic.

Among the denominations, 74% of Orthodox, 62% of Conservative, and 46% of Reform Jews disapprove of the call for a full settlement freeze.

Still, there is wide recognition among American Jews that the question of settlements is a topic to be resolved in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. When put in that context, most American Jews say Israel should be willing to dismantle all (8%) or some (52%) of the settlements as part of a permanent peace settlement with the Palestinians. 37% oppose dismantling any.

The good news about Iran's new enrichment site

Haviv — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:01:00 +0000

Ahmadinejad in Natanz, April 2008

I’m actually a bit comforted by the news of the existence of a second nuclear enrichment facility near Qom, made public today by Britain, France, Germany and the US. (Technically, Iran came clean to the IAEA, but only after concluding that Western intelligence had already discovered the site.)

That Iran has secret nuclear facilities beyond its acknowledged ones is knuckle-draggingly obvious to all but the Jimmy Carter crowd. The revelation today that Western countries know about them is a minor relief. But that’s not the really good news.

Here’s the really good news (collated from the CNN and the New York Times) stories:

Obama: The new facility “is inconsistent with a peaceful (nuclear) program,” Obama said. “Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow.” The newly revealed site “represents a direct challenge to the basic foundation of the nonproliferation regime.”

Brown: “The level of deception by the Iranian government, and the scale of what we believe is the breach of international commitments, will shock and anger the entire international community. The international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand.”

Sarkozy: Iran “is taking the international community on a dangerous path,” and has two months to comply before crippling sanctions are imposed.

There are all sorts of ways to respond to this news: shrugging, promising a reinvigorated “engagement,” outright anger. It’s profoundly important that Obama, and some of his closest allies, have finally chosen anger.

It barely needs to be noted that an Iranian nuclear weapon is not just an Israeli problem. A nuke-backed Hizbullah will be the end of Lebanon. It will trigger an Arab scramble for parity that will bring nukes to Egypt and Saudi Arabia in short order. It will make the current Pakistani proliferation problem seem like child’s play.

If Obama wants to “engage” before resorting to paralyzing sanctions or even force, fine. But he has to do it in Middle Eastern fashion, with a clear sense of when he’s being cheated and a clearer willingness to up the ante in a game that, for the sake of all mankind, he really can’t lose.

Chavez, too, wants to go nuclear

Haviv — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:21:07 +0000

Chavez and Putin, Sept. 10, 2009 (AP)

Venezuela made lots of news this past week.

First, Chavez announced he wants a nuclear program. But it’s okay, he said, because like Iran, his would be peaceful:

The Venezuelan leader is already dismissing critics’ concerns over his nuclear ambitions, offering assurances his aims are peaceful and that Venezuela will simply be following in the footsteps of other South American nations using atomic energy.

“I say it before the world: Venezuela is going to start the process of developing nuclear energy, but we’re not going to make an atomic bomb, so don’t be bothering us afterward … (with) something like what they have against Iran,” Chavez said Sunday.

The socialist president is closely allied with Iran and defends its nuclear program while the U.S. and other countries accuse Tehran of having a secret nuclear weapons program.

Who would actually sell crazy-man Chavez a nuclear reactor? Why, Russia, of course!

Yet his project remains in its planning stages and still faces a host of practical hurdles, likely requiring billions of dollars, as well as technology and expertise that Venezuela lacks.

Russia has offered to help bridge that gap, and Chavez has announced that the two countries have created an atomic energy commission.

The role of enabler of the nuclear ambitions of sketchy quasi-dictators seems to be par for the course for Russia right now (this paragraph about two-thirds of the way down):

Indeed, a senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday that Jerusalem was concerned that Russia was playing the role of “the wrench in the works” when it came to international pressure on Iran. “All the other nations are roughly on the same page. China seems to be taking its cue from Russia. It’s Russia that’s saying this [Iranian proposal] is something we can work with,” said the official.

In other happy-go-lucky Venezuela news, Venezuela’s foreign minister blamed US support for Columbia for the country’s growing arms purchases:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced a string of recent contracts with Moscow to buy 24 advanced fighter jets, 92 battle tanks and 300 surface-to-air missiles among other weapons acquisitions. The total value of the deals is more than six billion dollars.

A fierce US critic, Chavez has said the arms are not to threaten neighboring countries but a response to threats he sees from the US “empire” wanting to invade his oil-rich nation.

You get the general trend? Last Thursday, the Washington Post finally did.

Huge hat tip: Mere Rhetoric

'The Jews kidnap our children for organs'

Haviv — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:39:02 +0000

The website of Al-Khabar, the Algerian paper that first carried the story

Modernity was supposed to fundamentally alter the way people act and interact. In an age of reason and the overpowering triumph of technology and democracy, human beings were supposed to think more clearly, act more wisely.

So why does stuff like this keep sweeping across the Muslim world?

The anti-Semitic blogosphere and many Arab and Muslim media outlets are aflutter in recent days over accusations of an international Jewish conspiracy to kidnap Algerian children and harvest their organs.

According to the story, first reported by Algeria’s Al-Khabar daily, bands of Moroccans and Algerians have allegedly been roaming the streets of Algeria’s cities kidnapping young children, who are then transported across the border into Morocco. From the Moroccan city of Oujda, the children are then purportedly sold to Israelis and American Jews, who then harvest their organs for sale in Israel and the United States. The organs are said to fetch anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000.

Yes, this lie is being told in America, too.

And yes, Iran’s official news organ made the obvious Swedish connection. Can you blame them?

Last month, a report published in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, accused Israeli soldiers of kidnapping Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip for their organs, indicating a possible link between the Israeli military and the mafia of human organs detected in the US.

Why Israel might strike Iran after all

Haviv — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:34:42 +0000

Amos Harel, the veteran Ha’aretz military correspondent, has some interesting thoughts this weekend about the Iranian problem. Rather than making vapid claims of “Israel can” or “Israel can’t,” he delves into the complexity of the considerations.

First, he says, the American administration may be coming to terms with “the growing likelihood that the endgame will be an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.”

During the past year, military experts and commentators are increasingly coming around to the view that the Israel Air Force is capable of executing the mission. The Israel Defense Forces was significantly upgraded during the tenure of Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. The goal, it is argued, is not to liquidate the Iranian project but to set it back. According to this line of thought, if an attack, American or Israeli, causes a couple of years’ delay in the project it will have achieved its aim.

Thus, Obama will respond to Iranian negotiations by reaching an agreement on peaceful enrichment:

The impression gained by Israelis who have visited Washington lately is that Obama is gradually backing away from the Bush administration’s fundamental demand that Iran cease to enrich uranium as a precondition for beginning a dialogue.

Subsequently, they believe, the United States will offer Iran the following compromise: The Iranians will be allowed to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes (under tight international supervision), the previous sanctions imposed on Iran will be lifted and the two sides will reach understandings concerning Iran’s interests in a number of arenas, notably Iraq, ahead of the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from there.

Israel will acquiesce for the time being, “as long as it is clear that the international supervision is strong enough and that, in anticipation of the likely eventuality Iran will be found cheating, a broad coalition to toughen the sanctions is put together in advance.”

But the clock is ticking. Despite the successes of intelligence service in delaying the program – for example, by arranging the sale of defective equipment to the Iranian program – it continues to develop.

At present, however, no action looms – other than an attack – that is capable of preventing Iran from achieving its goal.