In September 2007, when Ahmadinejad came to Columbia University, he was sure that the Americans are naïve and easy to manipulate. With his overview of the history of Palestine, well fabricated to make the Arabs believe that he is their protector, he actually based himself on the short memory of the public. Did the Arabs forget the war between Iran and Iraq, which killed thousands of Arabs and Iranians? In his speech he wanted to let us believe that the Arabs where not involved in Hitler’s Jewish massacre. When he mentioned that, he added: “they lived in peace with the Jewish and the Christian communities.” He thought that the Jewish people lack their memories.

When he spoke about the time of WWII, he said that Palestine was not involved, and that the Palestinian people did not commit any crime. He is right by saying this, Palestine and the Palestinian Arabs didn’t exist at that time, as the British called all the inhabitants of the entire area, Palestinians including the Jews, the Christians, and the Arabs. The fact is that the Jewish Brigade, which fought in Italy and in Germany within the British Army, was called the PALESTINIAN JEWISH BRIGADE, as it was written on the sleeve patch, which was worn on the left arm, along with the Star of David. My friend, who served in this Brigade, is still alive, and, at the age of 90, a great witness. His commander was Brigadier Ernest Benjamin, a Canadian General. They first went to Italy and stayed for a while on the bank of the river Tiber (Tevere), before moving forward.

Didn’t Ahmadinejad study any part of history? The Mufti of Jerusalem, who went to Germany to advise Hitler? He had even recruited young Arabs to fight alongside the German armies. Hajj Amin al-Husayni, was very active to obtain Arab support for the Axis Powers against the Allies.

In1920, the Arabs, whom Ahmadinejad calls Palestinians, have attacked the Jewish community of the City of Hebron and massacred 67 people of this peaceful religious community. Likewise, during the same period, in 1929, the Arab riots against the Jews, under the name of the “Nabi Moussa holiday”, spread all over Jerusalem and its suburbs. Can one call these Arabs of Palestine innocent? Also for the sake of a good history lesson, Iran’s neighbors, the Iraqis also made a big massacre during the infamous pogrom against the Jews of Baghdad in 1941, with 200 left dead and 2100 wounded, and during which more than 900 Jewish homes were destroyed.

Ahmadinejad complained about the unfriendly reception, saying that in Iran guests are respected. I would have concurred with him, had it not been for the hostage crisis of November 4, 1979, when the American hostages could have benefited from the so-called Iranian hospitality.

The good manners, the courteous reception of guests and the culture Ahmadinejad mentioned, may refer to Persia of the time of its great poets Omar Khayyâm and Ferdowsi, but not to Muslim Persia of today.

To the question, if he intended to eradicate Israel, he responded: “We like all nations. We are friends of the Jewish people” We would like to believe in this friendship, but the Jewish people, religious or Zionists, wherever they may be, are indivisibly tied to Israel. He talked about Iranian Jews who are under his rule. They do not enjoy the freedom he mentioned.

Ahmadinejad has entirely forgotten the history of friendship between Israel and Persia, King Ahasuerus, who married the Jewish Queen Ester. He believed he could erase the history of the Jewish people with a single stroke of a sponge, thinking that this nation, the Americans and the nations of the world are ignorant.

I would like to remind Ahmadinejad that the Jews are still alive, those who knew ancient Persian history, and the world of Islam. He should stop threatening the USA and Israel.

Ahmadinejad never went, for the sake of truth, to Auschwitz, to Dachau, and to all the concentration camps in order to better understand the suffering of the Jewish people.

No mater how strong he is, he should not underestimate the Israelis, their intelligence and their capabilities. For the sake of peace among nations, he should reconsider his attitude toward the United States and toward Israel. Both nations know exactly what the Iranians are doing in Iraq and now in Afghanistan. They are killing our soldiers by financing, supplying and training the Hezbollah, Hamas and the Taliban.

For the well-being of his people and of the region, he should stop threatening the Jews and the United States. There is a saying, that those who play with fire will eventually burn themselves.

Copyright 2010 Emile Tubiana