[Ha'aretz] Editorial - It is possible to make fun of the conference of Holocaust deniers in Tehran. It is also possible to view this as yet another symptom of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that has afflicted the West in the face of rising Islamic extremism. The conference is another sign that anti-Israel sentiment has long since turned into open anti-Semitism. The repeated calls for Israel's eradication that emanate from Iran - especially when accompanied by nuclear weapons, but even without them - should have generated an active and effective worldwide front. Instead, we are gradually seeing the problem become Israel's problem alone. It is too early to say the world is remaining silent in the face of the threat to destroy Israel, but it is not too early to say that the world is apathetic and yawning. Ahmadinejad does not recognize the 1967 borders - or any borders - for a Jewish state. He uses Holocaust denial to eradicate the moral basis for Israel's existence, and even says so openly. To counter this, it is necessary to create a moral, diplomatic, political, and even military front - one that will be activist rather than sleepy and apologetic, and that will make the discussion of Israel's destruction unprofitable for the Iranians even before any discussion of the goals of the nuclear capabilities they are developing.
2006-12-13 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive