Ahmadinejad denies Holocaust, again

After offering to establish Israel in Europe, Iranian leader proposes Alaska.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ahmadinejad 298.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Ahmadinejad 298.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
For the third time in a week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday the Holocaust is a "myth" that Europeans have used to create a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamic world. Speaking to thousands of people in the southeastern city of Zahedan, Ahmadinejad said: "Today, they have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets." Ahmadinejad said it was the Europeans who committed crimes against the Jews and they, the United States or Canada, should give part of their land to the Jews to establish a state. "If [the Europeans] committed this big crime, then why should the oppressed Palestinian nation pay the price?" Ahmadinejad asked rhetorically Wednesday. "You have to pay the compensation yourself. "This is our proposal: give a part of your own land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to them (Jews) so that the Jews can establish their country," he said. Similar statements were made by the Iranian president on Monday at an Islamic conference in Teheran that was attended by Khaled Mashaal, Hamas's political leader. The next day, Ahmadinejad spoke on Iranian television, doubting the Nazi destruction of European Jewry during World War II. The television did not air the controversial remarks, but his words were published on Iranian state television's Web site. In October, Ahmadinejad provoked an international outcry when he called Israel a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map." Last week, he suggested that Israel should be transferred to Europe, drawing further condemnation. "This is our proposal: give a part of your own land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to them (Jews) so that the Jews can establish their country," he said. Ahmadinejad provoked an angry reaction from Europe, the United States and even Russia, an ally of Iran, on Thursday when he told reporters in Saudi Arabia that Israel should be moved to Europe if the West wanted to make up for the Holocaust. The comment also infuriated the Saudis as it was made on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference that was dedicated to showing the moderate face of Islam. His remarks have also provoked a reaction from his conservative allies who fear that he is hurting the country's image. Moderate Iranians have called on the ruling Islamic establishment to rein in the president.