14 December 2005
Over recent days Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction and denied the Holocaust, most recently today, when he called the Holocaust a “myth” and urged that Israel be moved to Europe, Canada or the United States.
Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev said that Ahmadinejad’s comments require a strong response from world leaders.
“History has taught us that some threats need to be taken seriously. Sixty years ago in the Holocaust the Nazis and their collaborators wiped out a third of the Jewish people. On November 1, 2005 the United Nations adopted a resolution urging Holocaust remembrance and education and rejecting Holocaust denial. Today, a leader of a UN member state, stands before us making genocidal statements about another member state, while simultaneously branding the Holocaust a myth. Condemnations are important but not sufficient. The international community and the United Nations must take concrete action.” Shalev said.
