Steve Inskeep of National Public Radio did a superb interview with Iranian President Ahmadinejad today in which he asked him about his disgusting threat, to wipe Israel off the map. Ahmadinejad explained it in much the way that he sought to do to CBS two years ago, and which "60 Minutes" failed to report, that he was in favor of complete democracy in historical Palestine, i.e., a binational state and an end to Zionism. "Our proposal
has been to offer the Palestinian people a free referendum. Everyone
who lives in Palestine [should be able] to participate in a referendum
to decide the future and the nature of its government." So Ahmadinejad sounds like an anti-Zionist. Views not that different from many commenters on this blog. Though he refuses to use the word "Israel." Like when I visited Syria, and my friends walking the streets with me spoke of "Disneyland," lest someone overhear us talking about the Jewish state.
I wonder what multicultural Americans, about half of whom are for Obama, would think of these answers if they were more widely distributed. Notice that Ahmadinejad talks about colonizers oming to the U.S.–and how would we feel? Kudos to NPR for bucking its own audience in airing these answers. Especially after the fear-mongering at the U.N. yesterday. But the excerpts:
NPR: Let me delve into two more areas. As you know,
Mr. President, you are known in much of the world, and not only in the
United States, as the man who wants to "wipe Israel off the map." Are
you?
A: Is the problem of the U.S.
government the Zionist regime? I believe the extremity to which the
U.S. government has gone to extend support to the Zionist regime has
caused the U.S. government problems around the world.
NPR: you accept the label of the man who wants to wipe Israel off the map? You're not?
A: Please pay attention to the fact that there are two issues that go side
by side in this discussion. The first part is the proposal we have
given to resolve the problem of Palestine. For 60 years, wars and
killings have been going on over there.
Every peace proposal
that has been put on the table so far has failed to give results. Why?
Because it neglects the rights of the Palestinian people. Our proposal
has been to offer the Palestinian people a free referendum. Everyone
who lives in Palestine [should be able] to participate in a referendum
to decide the future and the nature of its government.
Let me
create an analogy here — where exactly is the Soviet Union today? It
did disappear — but exactly how? It was through the vote of its own
people. So therefore in Palestine too we must allow the people, the
Palestinians, to determine their own future.
And then the
second side of this same issue, and I'd really like to invite you to
pay attention to it. Especially you — you must, because you are always
being subjected to [the] unilateral sort of information that is coming
from the administration here.
Let's ask ourselves, where
exactly did the Zionist regime come from? Palestine has existed
historically with people who live there for thousands of years. Then at
gunpoint several million of the indigenous people there were forced out
of their homes and became displaced. And it didn't stop there; others
were brought from elsewhere in the world to replace them. How can you
accept this regime?
One other comment. Notice his reference to the Soviet Union disappearing, as its constituents broke away. This reminds me of Noam Chomsky's understanding of the right of a state to exist. Did the Soviet Union have a right to exist? And is there a way to discuss all these things without Holocaust hysteria kicking in? Alas, Ahmadinejad has contributed to this fearful climate….
