Anti-Semitism in the Arab Press: Expressions of Anti-Semitism in the Arab Press

Anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial publications have continued to appear in the Arab press over the past few months. The verdict in the libel suit of Holocaust denier David Irving led to publications and comments on the trial. The opportunity was used to support his statements and publish Holocaust denial material. Expressions also refer to current events - such as comments on Foreign Minister David Levy's statements in the Knesset, 'Nakba' Day and others. Anti-Semitic expressions increased in the Iranian press. This may be due to the trial of the Jewish prisoners there and the intensive Israeli activity to release them.

- Egypt
- Syria
- Jordan
- Palestinians
- Iran

Egypt

The 7 March edition of the opposition newspaper 'Al-Wafed' published a reaction to the statements of Minister Shimon Peres at the Davos Conference calling for a change in the education systems in the Arab countries: 'The meaning of the call (for a change in the education system) is to cover up Israeli barbarity and the massacres it carried out and the slaughter … and to nullify the Jews' conspiracies against Islam. The older Egyptians remember how the Jews lived in Egypt: Mammom is the god of the Jews, the basis for it is blackmailing Egyptians, and any method is justified if it leads to wealth'.

In the 7 March edition of 'Al-Shaab', Dr. Al-Kaoud published an article on the Israeli air force's attack on Lebanon: 'Events in Lebanon demonstrate the Nazi character of the Jewish enemy and prove that the meaning of Jewish peace is a 'Peace of Graves'… Jewish Nazism sees no obstacle in occupying someone's land and denying his liberty, while at the same time it opposes anyone fighting this Nazism. Jewish Nazism is no different from Crusader Nazism - both believe in racism and the superiority of the European race, expansionism and imperialism. The opposition (by Hizballah) to Jewish Nazism, despite its limitations, cancels out the considerations of both the Jewish and the Crusader Nazism. This activity shows that the Jihad is the best way to deter this Nazism and prevent it from setting fire to Lebanon.

The Egyptian press published a number of Holocaust denial articles in several newspapers. On 4 March, for example, an article was published in 'Al-Gomhourriyah' in which Dr. Nasef writes that 'Zionist propaganda continues today to raise the issue of the Jewish Holocaust even though the historical facts have unequivocally proved that the claims regarding the existence of crematoria for the Jews in the Nazi concentration camps were false.

'Al-Akbar' of 10 March also published a strong Holocaust denial and anti-Israel article, entitled, 'The Nazi Holocaust and the Jewish Holocaust'. In the article, the author quotes from the book of the 'philosopher' Roger Garaudy, claiming that 'he proved by relying on historical facts that there is no truth to the claim that Hitler burned six million Jews in World War II. On the contrary, according to international data, the number of Jews after the war was greater than before the war'. The author reports on Garaudy's trial and complains that anyone wanting to doubt the truth about the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis is put on trial, accused of anti-Semitism and Zionism fights him and his opinions. '… even before Israel became a state, it conducted a 'Holocaust through Zionism' and set up crematoria for all of the Arabs, as manifest in the innumerable massacres it carried out'.

'Al-Akbar' of 6 April refers to the reparations agreement for slave labourers signed in Germany, claiming that 'some of these reparations are acquired by Israel through the use of the new falsehood which is 'forced labour of Jews under the Nazi rule'. This is after it has already blackmailed Germany since the early fifties and up to today, through the lie and the myth that Hitler destroyed six million Jews during World War II, despite the fact that neutral historians, including Jews, believe that no crematoria existed and not even one Jew was burnt there'.

On 16 April, 'Al-Aharam', the establishment's main newspaper, published an extensive interview with the historian David Irving after the verdict in his trial, openly ignoring the court's decision, entitled, 'The gas chambers are a lie and the Palestinians have a right to compensation'. The interview includes Irving's statements and claims that there is no hint or proof, nor did anyone see Jews burning in the gas chambers. According to him, the gas chambers were constructed in 1948, three years after World War II ended.

An article was published in 'Al-Wafed' on 10 March, in which the writer wonders in connection with the peace process whether Israel's intentions are good. He answers that 'Israel is waging a secret war, including a virus that Israel brought into Egypt which killed many bees and the strange 'Aids' which damaged most of the palm trees in two of the Delta governates. Israel also brought into Egypt seeds and plants injected with hormones which cause cancer and kidney diseases. The author ends with 'There is no point in discussing peace with someone who does not respect agreements and who is thirsty for the blood of non-Jews, based on the Talmud and the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion' .

Dr. Mahmud writes in the 10 March edition of 'Al-Aharam' that 'the Mafia that currently operates in Russia for the new criminals is run by Jews from Tel-Aviv and it controls the tottering Russian economy … Opportunism was always the talent of the present generation (meaning the Jews). They can tell ahead of time 'which way the wind is blowing' and they are quick to get the profits before anyone else. The Jews' problem is conceit and arrogance to the extent that he is convinced that he is a member of a chosen people and he thinks that this world and the next are his special legacy'.

Syria

The Syrian press continued to comment on Foreign Minister Levy's statements in the Knesset. The Chairman of the Arab Writers' Association writes in the Arab Writers' Internet site on 10 March that 'the Neo-Nazi David Levy threatens to set fire to the land of Lebanon if Hezbollah realizes its legitimate right to oppose occupation … It would be a good idea to become acquainted with the deep roots of the Jews' racist and Nazi tendencies. We would have thought that the warm compassionate bosom of Arab Morocco which protected him and those like him down through history from every threat or harm, would have left its impression on the man's soul'. He continues, 'I suggest that Arabs interested in peace with the Zionist entity, carefully and accurately analyze the threats of another Nazi, Ehud Barak who claims he is acting for peace'.

In a commentary published in the 'Sayara Times' the commentator writes on 9 March that 'history helps us understand the source of Zionism's cruelty and violence. Israelis adopt methods and advocate principles identical with those of Hitler. Hitler's goal was to destroy the Arabs and the Palestinians. During the years before the Nazis' rise to power, the Zionist organizations had business relations with the Nazis. The Jews' purpose in maintaining these relations was to consolidate control over the Jews of Germany in order to expand the support of them … The cooperation between the Jews and Hitler led to significant damage to the unity of the anti-Fascist forces and assisted the Nazis' plans'

The 13^th chapter of a textbook in an elementary school in Syria claimed that Zionism is a 'Nazi movement whose goal is to settle in all the Arab world from the Euphrates to the Nile'. The civics books claim that Israel is a 'malignant cancer which grew in the heart of the Arab nation and wants to spread by means of racist aggression'.

In the 12 April edition of the Syrian newspaper 'Al-Thawra', a journalist from Lebanon wonders about the differences between Himmler, Hitler, Goebbels, Ben Gurion, Begin and Dayan: 'We are not against the Jews as Jews. We never regarded any philosopher or inventor by his religious origin or nationality. But we are certainly against the Jewish phenomenon which was developed in the Talmud and burst forth on Arab soil. What is the difference between Hitler, Himmler and Goebbels on the one hand and David Ben Gurion, Menahem Begin and Moshe Dayan on the other? Each one commits a Holocaust in his own way and according to his private philosophy'.

Jordan

An article written by George Hadad and entitled, 'Dir Yassin and its Biblical Roots' appeared in the 10 April edition of 'Al-Dustour'. The article was written to mark the 52^nd anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre. The author tried to show that the roots of Jewish murderousness had their origins in the Torah.

Palestinians

On 18 February, an article written by a senior Hamas member appeared in 'Al-Mitak' which said that the massacre (in Hebron) must remain alive in the memory of the people so that it will know its enemy, that at least it will not agree to the destruction of the last of us, the destruction of our children even before our youth, our women before our men. This is the enemy which suckles its infants on resentment and hatred towards anyone who chose Allah for his god, Islam as his religion and Muhammad his prophet. This is the enemy in whose 'Talmud' it is written that the father teaches his son: If you cannot, through the daily commandments, harm a Muslim, then at least tread on the shadow of a Muslim.

In connection with the Pope's visit to Yad Vashem, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sabri, said that 'the Jewish people found a wonderful way to get solidarity from the world. The Holocaust completely controls the international media. In Germany they talk only about compensation in billions of dollars to the Jews. The (rule) of the Crusaders lasted two hundred years, not five, like in the Second World War, and more Muslims were killed than Jews under Nazism'. Further on he adds the answer to the question whether six million were killed in the Holocaust, 'Six million? It was much less than that'.

Iran

In Iran, reference was also made to Irving's trial in London. The 'Tehran Times' of 13 April praised Holocaust deniers and called the Holocaust 'one of the frauds of the past century'. Zionism is accused of making it up in order to blackmail the West.

The 15 May edition of 'Jamhurri-Islami' published Leader Khamenei's Friday sermon in which he praised Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy: 'Newspapers in the West are free and they write everything. But who do these newspapers belong to? Do they belong to the people? It is very clear. Show me one newspaper in all of Europe and the U.S. that does not belong to the capitalists! If there is a person who speaks against the Zionists, such as the French author who wrote several books in which he maintains that the claim that the Jews were burnt in crematoria is false, the West will act differently towards him! (that is, with hostility). If someone is not connected with the capitalists or the focus of capital or power, his words will not be heard and no one will know about them.

Following the protest by a Jewish MP in Britain against the Holocaust denial publications in the Tehran Times, an editorial was devoted to the subject on 14 May which said that 'the Zionists, ostensibly in the name of the 'Holocaust', have turned the West into their hostage for blackmailing these governments. These countries were Hitler's allies during the war. The Tehran times is one of the periodicals that decided to discover the facts about the Holocaust in order to refute the Zionist connection. The problem is that the Zionists, through various guises, have succeeded in penetrating the sensitive points in the world, especially the media. After penetrating research, the Tehran Times has succeeded in writing an article which proves that the subject of the Holocaust is only a hoax. The 'Holocaust' and other excuses are now also exposed to the simple man in the West and the Zionists will soon see that everyone sees through the great delusion.

Sources: Israeli Foreign Ministry