Ahmadinejad and Israel

History is often said to repeat itself and perhaps is does so because people fail to learn the lessons of the past. I am not sure that there is any history to repeat on this one, but it is a good example of a one trick pony and a bloke that will never learn. Unfortunately, as much as one would like to dismiss this bloke as a raving lunatic, he cannot be dismissed so easily. This is particularly the case where the Iranian state is looking to develop nuclear capacity and the ongoing rhetoric of hatred leveled at Israel and all states that support the existence of Israel.

The latest salvo across the bow of the West is that Israel will not survive in any form and the restatement regarding the holocaust as being a fake and that the only holocaust that the Israelis have been involved in is the perpetration of a holocaust against the Palestinians.

What Israel has done in the Palestinian territories is perhaps sufficient for a claim of genocide and there have been legal arguments advanced in support of such a claim. This though does not prove that the holocaust perpetrated against the Jews during WWII is fake or a beat up. The holocaust against the Jews occurred and there is sufficient documentary evidence to support such a conclusion. Whether it was six million, or five million, of 4 million, or 1 million Jews that were murdered is irrelevant, it was still an organized, planned, systematic extermination of a group of people.

It is more likely though that Ahmadinejad's latest outburst has more to do with domestic politics in Iran. It seems that Ahmadinejad's grip is slipping as he and his policies fail to deliver for the Iranian people. This may be nothing more than an attempt at diverting attention from the failings at home.

I guess you cannot teach an old dog new tricks after all.