Republic of Hate - Jews, the Holocaust and War

Hello and welcome to Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism, in which we explore Iran’s hatred of Israel, Jews, and the West. These are essays by Dr. Mark Silinsky, president of Kensington Security Consulting, which brings education to the field of national security. In podcast 18, we will examine the anti-Semitic themes of Holocaust denial. Theme Seven - Holocaust Denial For years, the Iranian regime has used Holocaust denial to deny the legitimacy of the existence of Israel. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in January 2009 that "breaking the padlock of the Holocaust and reexamining it will be tantamount to cutting the vital arteries of the Zionist regime." For example, Ali Khamenei linked Israel and the Holocaust by saying that "the Zionists occupied Palestine under the pretext of the Holocaust.” The Holocaust is a sensitive issue in Europe, and several countries criminalize Holocaust denial out of fear that it revives National Socialism and erases Germany's crimes of the Third Reich. Nonetheless, it persists in certain circles. There is a broad-based, right-leaning European Holocaust denial movement that dismisses the uniqueness of the genocide against Jews. Holocaust denial also comes from left-wing intellectuals and is prevalent in the Middle East. Some legal cases involving Holocaust denial have been sensational, such as the libel suit between Holocaust-denying historian David Irving and his critic Deborah Lipstadt. Ultimately, the plaintiff, Mr. Irving, lost the case but gained notoriety within Holocaust-denial circles, especially in Iran. His books are periodically displayed in glass cases at exhibitions in Iran, and he is cited by Iranian public intellectuals.             Anne Frank is often targeted by Iranian-backed Holocaust deniers, like Robert Faurisson, who claimed her diary is fake. Iranian media frequently promote Holocaust denial, and TV hosts regularly interview well-known figures on the topic. Political analysts such as Hosein Rouyvaran argued that the crematoria and gas chambers were used for "hygienic, not political, purposes." Ali Khamenei stated, "The supposed massacre of six million Jews in Germany, after imposing hard labor against them, in concentration camps, known as the Holocaust, is a sheer historic lie." Ahmadinejad repeatedly called the Holocaust a myth. Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the Iranian daily Kayhan and an associate of Khamenei, said, "The Holocaust, or the slaughter of Jews during World War II by German Nazis, is a myth and a contrived story."             Some Iranians and Europeans dismiss highlighting Holocaust atrocities by emphasizing the destruction caused by the Allied strategic bombing of Germany and Japan. One Iranian commentator stated, “We have Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and the city of Larson in Germany. In the city of Larson alone . . . Perhaps this hasn't been addressed extensively . . . In several days of bombing, 135,000 people were killed in this city."             Iranian intellectuals have also accused Jews of colluding with Germans to promote their interests. Iranian political analyst Mojtaba Zakerian said that the Zionists had made agreements with Nazi Germany and that "the story" about the murder of the Jews or crematoria was merely a "media tale" intended to prepare global public opinion for the establishment of Israel. Holocaust denial had been widespread for years after the revolution. However, Ahmadinejad further popularized it. He convened several international conferences and promoted Western Holocaust deniers, inviting them to become regular guests on the English-language Iranian television station, Press TV.             Theme Eight- Jews Accused of Creating War             According to Iranian and Western anti-Semites, Jews incite war, and without Jews, there would be less conflict. On Iranian television, an intellectual claimed that “America’s Jews are driving America’s wars.” Iranian international affairs expert Alireza Mehrabi said there are two Americas: one of the "regular people" and another made up of what he called twelve "military-industrial-economic empires" that "enslave" America. He added, "The American people have been colonized (by Jews)." These Jews create war. England had laid the groundwork years earlier with the Balfour plan and, in collaboration with Jewish financial elites, invented the heretical doctrine of Zionism to serve this purpose. Ali Khamenei said, “Jews are deliberately creating division between Muslims and Christians. This is very important for the Zionists - to divide the large Muslim community worldwide from the Christians, and to turn the Christians against the Muslims. That's what this is about. This is the work of the Zionists.” Khamenei added, “These demonstrations and the intense passion shown by Muslims at the right time are not aimed at the world's Christians, but at the corrupt hands that have turned global politicians into pawns. They also control newspapers and many media outlets. These are the unseen hands of the impure Zionists. They are the ones who fully control the American government. The same people are active in Europe as well.” Zionism is not a religion, nor does it follow any faith. Zionism is a 'cult'—a political movement—whose founding was declared in Basel, Switzerland, and which is rooted in the plutocracies of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the Middle Ages. Zionism seeks to rewrite history—a history filled with blood, where the most bloodthirsty can rule. "They [the Zionists] begin their worship with blood. Blood flows everywhere they prostrate themselves, and their altar reeks of blood.             Hatred for Israel is widespread in Europe, the Arab world, and Iran. "First of all, we must mention the magnitude of the disaster of the plundering of the state of Palestine and of the formation of the Zionist cancerous tumor on it. Among the crimes against humanity in recent times, no other crime is equal in size and severity." This concludes this episode of Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism. We look forward to reading your comments. Dr. Silinsky’s latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Israel, Hamas, and the World, will be available for purchase in summer 2026. Nothing in this podcast or any of Dr. Silinsky’s other podcasts reflects the official position of the United States Department of War, the United States Intelligence Community, or any other U.S. government agency. On behalf of Kensington Security Consulting, thank you for listening, and goodbye until our next podcast.