Iran: The Ayatollah, Amid Coronavirus, Calls for Jihad Against the Jewish State

by Majid Rafizadeh
May 26, 2020 at 4:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16062/iran-khamenei-jihad-israel

It is mystifying that Twitter, which wantonly censors so much, continues to allow... Iranian leaders to spread Nazi-inspired language and anti-Semitic sentiments on its platform. In general, "Big Tech" -- Google, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter -- have long since ceased being "neutral" transmitters of information as if they were "utilities". Instead, they have become America's Thought Police. They urgently need to be regulated the same way media is.
The ruling mullahs of Iran need to be held accountable by the international community for threatening to annihilate a fellow- member of the United Nations, the Jewish state. Not only are these threats unacceptable according to Chapter I: Article 2(1)-(5) of the Charter of the United Nations... They are also unacceptable as part of a double-standard in which the United Nations and the international community continue to be silent about Iran's threats against Israeli citizens -- not to mention Iran's malign actions against its own citizens. Perhaps the time... is long overdue... for the U.S. to cease funding the UN, which seems only to conserve injustice and war.
Under no circumstances should the US, the UN or any other entity -- read: Europe -- in any way be assisting the malign mullahs of Iran.

It is mystifying that Twitter, which wantonly censors so much, continues to allow Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (pictured) and other Iranian leaders to spread Nazi-inspired language and anti-Semitic sentiments on its platform. (Photo by Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images)

Instead of concentrating on assisting and improving the living standards of its citizens, the ruling mullahs of Iran seem to be prioritizing the advancement of their anti-Semitic agenda.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently called Israel a "cancerous tumor to be destroyed," promised "to support any nation or group that fights Israel," and urged the Palestinian militant groups to cooperate more closely with each other and "expand the field of jihad in all Palestinian lands."

The Iranian regime has, since its Islamic revolution of 1979, been among the world's leading sponsors of terrorist organizations that target Israel. Some of the leaders of terrorist groups have surprisingly admitted that Tehran is their military and financial lifeline and that their survival depends on Iran.

Ismail Haniyeh, for instance, the head of Hamas's political bureau, recently praised the Iranian regime for being its foremost financial and military supporter. He pointed out in a video speech on May 20:

"The essence of this strategy is the resistance project. Complete resistance including the armed military resistance at the top. From here, I salute all the components of the nation that embrace and support the choice of resistance on the ground in Palestine".

He emphasized that he was particularly specifying the Islamic Republic of Iran, "which has not faltered in supporting and funding the resistance financially, militarily, and technically. This is an example of the Republic's strategy that was established by Imam Khomeini, may God have mercy on his soul".

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite militant group, also acknowledged previously that Hezbollah's survival depends on Iran: "We are open about the fact that Hezbollah's budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said. He also pressed the notion that his group "will not be affected" by any type of sanctions.

In his latest speech, Iran's supreme leader said that "The Zionist regime is a... deadly... detriment to this region. It will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed." Iran's state-owned newspapers followed up with similar anti-Israel threats. The front-page headline of Iran's leading newspaper Kayhan read, "Victory over Virus of Zionism Guaranteed: Leader". Khamenei's official website recently featured a poster image with the text "Palestine Will Be Free. The final solution: Resistance until referendum."

Those people in the West who call Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif a moderate, should be aware that he posted on Twitter the same image with the Nazi euphemism, along with these comments:

"Disgusting that those whose civilization found a 'Final Solution' in gas chambers attack those who seek a real solution at the ballot box, through a REFERENDUM. Why are US and West so afraid of democracy? Palestinians should not have to pay for your crimes, or for your guilt."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reacted by stating:

"Khamenei's threats to realize the 'final solution' against Israel are reminiscent of the Nazi 'final solution' plan for the destruction of the Jewish people. He must know that any regime that threatens Israel with extermination will find itself in similar danger."

Khamenei thoughtfully replied that he did not mean destroying the Jewish people, just Israel.

It is mystifying that Twitter, which wantonly censors so much, continues to allow Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and other Iranian leaders to spread Nazi-inspired language and anti-Semitic sentiments on its platform. In general, "Big Tech" -- Google, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter -- have long since ceased being "neutral" transmitters of information as if they were "utilities". Instead, they have become America's Thought Police. They urgently need to be regulated the same way media is.

Regarding Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accurately accused Khamenei and Zarif of "echoing Hitler's call for genocide" and in a tweet, responded:

"Incredible that @JZarif and Iran's Supreme Leader are echoing Hitler's call for genocide. This depravity should dispel any notion the regime belongs in the community of nations. We stand with Germany and Israel against this oldest & most vile form of hatred, and say #NeverAgain."

The ruling mullahs of Iran need to be held accountable by the international community for threatening to annihilate a fellow- member of the United Nations, the Jewish state. Not only are these threats unacceptable according to Chapter I: Article 2(1)-(5) of the Charter of the United Nations... which states: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state...". They are also unacceptable as part of a double-standard in which the United Nations and the international community continue to be silent about Iran's threats against Israeli citizens -- not to mention Iran's malign actions against its own citizens (here, here, here and here).

Imagine if the situation were reversed, and Israel threatened to annihilate Iran: the international community would likely be up in arms to defend the Iranian regime. Perhaps the time has come -- in fact is long overdue -- for the U.S. to cease funding the UN, which seems only to conserve injustice and war. At the very least, the US, instead of automatically handing over roughly a quarter of the UN's budget every year – in 2017, for instance, the listed US payment was more than $10 billion, an amount that has surely not decreased since then – instead, as the former US former ambassador, John. R. Bolton, suggested, the US should start "paying only for what the country wants—and [expect] to get what it pays for. "

Under no circumstances should the US, the UN or any other entity -- read: Europe -- be assisting in any way the malign mullahs of Iran.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)

© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Related Topics: Iran, Israel

Recent Articles by Majid Rafizadeh

The Possibility of a 'Golden Age' in the Middle East, 2024-11-16
Peace in the Middle East: The First Step, 2024-11-09
Global Threat: The Biden-Harris Administration Is Enabling Iran to Become the Next Nuclear State, 2024-11-02
Iranian Missiles Hit Europe: Europe Does Nothing, 2024-10-26
Israel Fights Alone, Carrying by Itself a Catatonically Suicidal West, 2024-10-19

receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free gatestone institute mailing list.

Comment on this item

10 Reader Comments

Licabettus Hill • Jun 1, 2020 at 08:01

Excellent analysis. It is high time the UN was held accountable for not taking action, e.g. expelling the representative of the Islamic Republic from the organization, banning the attendance of the delegation of Iran in the annual general assembly, and reacted to so many acts and omissions of the Islamic Republic in violation of the UN Charter. Same goes for UNICEF who remained silent when Afghan migrants, many of them under 12, were forced into river Hirmand at gunpoint by the Iranian border patrols and got drowned. The Islamic Republic is a rogue state, a threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond. Those who do not stand up to its malign acts and omissions, read Europe, are outright accomplices in the crimes of the regime in Tehran whether they are held accountable or not.

Reply->

tiki • May 30, 2020 at 06:24

And Twitter?
Twitter stops twittering when it's against Trump, Jews or Israel!

Otherwise it needs a 'fact check.... through the most anti Trump/Israel 'independent sources' like NYT or Washington Post.

Reply->

Bisley • May 26, 2020 at 19:13

It's not at all "mystifying that Twitter, which wantonly censors so much, continues to allow... Iranian leaders to spread Nazi-inspired language and anti-Semitic sentiments on its platform". The problem with these websites is less in what they allow to be posted than in what they censor and refuse to allow. All the major internet operations are owned, operated and staffed by hard-core leftists, and censored in accordance with their political beliefs, silencing and/or disparaging most opposing opinions. Since the left has allied itself with Islam, the radical Muslims are given free rein to say whatever they like, but opposition to them is censored as "Islamophobia", "hate speech", etc.

The radical Muslims have a right to their opinion, however offensive anyone may find it -- but so do their opponents who are muzzled. The solution is not to silence one side or the other, but to allow it all and let the public choose what to believe. At least part of the solution lies in the government classification of these websites as an open forum where the management has no control over content, and therefore no legal responsibility for what's posted. Government should present the owners and management of these sites with the choice of either ending censorship of content and retaining their present legal protection, or being classified as publishers legally responsible for what is posted, and subject to lawsuits related to what they publish.

As for the regime in Iran, they are what they are, and will continue doing what they do until they're removed from power. They can either be strangled economically until they're unable to continue doing what they do, and the regime collapses, or decapitated and their power broken by military action, or both. They will have to be removed to stop them doing what they want to do, and it will require some outside force to remove them. The Iranian people are not in a position to fight the IRGC, police, security services, etc.

Reply->

Geoffrey ben-nathan • May 26, 2020 at 19:10

On Monday October 12th 2015, I and two colleagues (one, alas, now deceased) sent a letter to the Ayatollah Khamene'i, via the Iranian Embassy here in London. We asked the Ayatollah what made him SO sure that the Jewish state was established AGAINST the Will of Allah. Might it not be possible, we asked, that the Jewish state has been established BY the Will of Allah?
Indeed, this is a question we would pose not just to the Ayatollah, but to every Imam, Sheikh and every Muslim (and non-Muslim, as well). Muslims may not know that Jews pray to Allah too - He is the universal God of Abraham / Ibrahim. And if Allah had wanted to see Israel destroyed, He would have seen to it,in our view, long ago.

Indeed, we would go further: self-proclaimed enemies of Israel should consider that when they seek war with Israel, they may needlessly be putting themselves up against a Force much more powerful than the Israeli army - powerful as it is.
After all, what is Judaism? Judaism is a Covenant between The Almighty and a people over land - a land whose borders are defined in the Bible. And The Almighty commits Himself to fighting for this land so long as the people, broadly speaking, keep His rules. So far, so good. With, it would seem, His help, Israel has defeated its enemies against overwhelming odds.
Our letter to the Ayatollah was in English. But a Gatestone Fellow kindly translated it for us into Farsi. It, of course, made no difference. We have received no reply, despite proof of reception at the Embassy.
Maybe we posed a question just too difficult for the Ayatollah to answer. The Ayatollah seems determined to pursue this folly. He has been warned.

Reply->

Lorensacho • May 26, 2020 at 12:42

Iran's call for a jihad against the Jewish state is a sign of weakness. Israel is kicking Iran's butt in Syria and Iran can't do anything about it so it is crying out for help.

Reply->

David E Kamins • May 26, 2020 at 09:17

I would like someone with more knowledge than I have to tell us what the UN does to support the ideals and supposed objective of the UN. Is there anything about the UN that deserves the moral and monetary support of the U.S. and other western governments that support the hateful words and objectives of some UN members.

Reply->

Bisley

David E Kamins • May 27, 2020 at 01:47

The value of the UN is in the representatives of most every government being together in the same place. It creates possibilities for informal, off-the-record discussions of matters that would never happen officially, or publicly for political reasons. Many issues, even if not resolved, are better understood through these informal contacts. It's often possible in such discussions to learn a government's real position (as opposed to their public one), and understand why they behave as they do, even if nothing can be done about it.

The UN itself is corrupt, socialist and incompetent -- not just worthless for its stated purpose, but detrimental to it. It should be used for whatever benefit can be derived from it, given as little money as possible, and ignored as a source of any authority.

Reply->

Gabor Ujvari • May 26, 2020 at 06:13

The cat is out of the bag, but the UN, EU, UNHRC, Amnesty, BDS and other self declared righteous organizations refuse to see that. They refuse to see that Iran is the merchant of death and destruction. The ayatollahs openly talk about nuclear arms, rockets and destruction of Israel. But many people pretend to be deaf and blind. The UN condemns Israel daily, but not the Iranian terror regime. Rest assured that Israel will survive Iran as prosperous democracy, irrespective of the hypocrisy of the world.

Reply->

william carr • May 26, 2020 at 05:45

The 12 year Nazi era was a failure of our civilisation which we united to correct in WW2, as far as I know the Iranians made no effort in that. The Iranian 'revolution' was also a failure of civilisation which has not yet been corrected, even after half a century.

Reply->

eli

william carr • May 26, 2020 at 12:45

Clarity needed --1. Islam was imposed on Iran by the invading Arabs---the music of Iran cries about this sad turn 2. Another imposition was these mullahs coming to power---The West simply feared a productive Iran would decimate their hold on this region remaining as consumers --- The West won in this matter ---just observe all the productive units of Iran that have closed--one example says it all--stones for graves and shovels imported from China ---and before 1979 --Iran was exporting good quality shoes and even some appliances--just look at the videos of Iran prior to 1979 --but now---Iran at 84 million and being fanatical has become a menace to the same West---in other words --what goes around comes around

Reply->