Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Iranian Holocaust denial at top speed.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad again says Holocaust is a myth
By News Agencies
http://www.haaretz.com/
Wed., December 14, 2005 Kislev 13, 5766
TEHRAN - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the Holocaust was a myth, reiterating a view that has caused international uproar and drawn a rebuke from the United Nations Security Council.
"They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God Himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he told a crowd in the southeastern city of Zahedan.
His speech was broadcast live on state television.
The Iranian president said the Europeans have used the "myth" to create a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamic world. He 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 your civilisation consists of unjust acts, oppression and poverty for the majority of the globe to provide your own people welfare, then we shout at the top of our voices that we hate your frail civilisation," he said, to rapturous cries of "God is Greatest" from the crowd.
Last week, Ahmadinejad also expressed doubt that the Holocaust took place, and suggested Israel be moved to Europe.
His comments, reported by Iran's official IRNA news agency from a news conference he gave in Mecca, followed his October call for Israel to be "wiped off the map," which sparked widespread international condemnation.
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces, and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that, they condemn that person and throw them in jail," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
----
What to do with Ahmadinejad
By Uzi Benziman
http://www.haaretz.com/
Wed., December 14, 2005 Kislev 13, 5766
When Anwar Sadat responded to the peace feelers put out by Menachem Begin, it was common belief that one of the reasons he did so was the tough image of the Likud leader and the group of ministers with whom he surrounded himself.
Begin headed a cabinet of renowned retired chiefs of staff and generals, among them Moshe Dayan, Ezer Weizman, Meir Amit and Ariel Sharon. Each of them had made a name as a daring and aggressive military leader who, during his service, had taught a lesson to the Arab enemy. Begin himself was reputed to be a hard man, zealous for his ideas, who believed that the Arabs understood only the language of force. Whether because Begin felt insecure managing matters of state on his own, or whether because he wanted his cabinet to exude a hard-line image in negotiating for peace, the fact is that he made a special effort, including a fierce debate with members of his family and with some of his senior colleagues in the Likud, to have Dayan and Sharon in his cabinet and thus complete the ring of generals around him.
Images play key roles in the international arena, and just as 28 years ago the impression the Begin government made carried significant weight in the decision by the Egyptian president to sign a peace treaty, the nuclear image that Israel has had for more than 40 years has decisive impact globally and on Israel's relations with Middle Eastern countries. This image projects a message of a giant who it is better not to trifle with - in any case not to think about in terms of a doomsday confrontation.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad has now come and cracked this shield: he proposes the option of dealing with Israel's purported nuclear capability, and calls on the Muslim world to adopt this option. In the name of Islam, Ahmadinejad calls for Israel's destruction, labels it a stain on the map of the world and delegitimizes its right to exist. Along with this, he also denies the Holocaust. This is a deep ideological view, systematic and fluent, which creates a theoretical and conceptual platform for a political worldview, and perhaps later for a plan of action in the direction of Israel's annihilation.
There is no other country in the world whose right to exist is challenged by another country. Moreover, the Iranian approach does not stem from a dispute over borders, a concrete historical argument, competition for natural resources, or the residue of national affront. Ahmadinejad's statements indicate that he is calling for Israel's destruction for religious reasons - the Jews are not worthy of independent existence, certainly not in the Islamic world.
There are two schools of thought as to how Israel should respond to the Islamic outlook. One recommends not getting worked up, and the other calls for taking the most serious view of the matter. The first places Ahmadinejad's position in the context of his verbal culture in other contexts. This view sees his inflammatory tone as typical of other Iranian discourse, internal and international. The Iranian president is a novice; he does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Iranian people; internal developments should be awaited that will one day produce a different leadership.
The opposite school of thought proposes not taking lightly the opinions expressed by the Iranian leadership, contesting them in the international arena and even making practical preparations in light of them.
Israel should take into account the pessimistic scenario and see the position expressed by Ahmadinejad as a real threat. Practical conclusions should also be drawn - to focus on this threat and as soon as possible to solve the Palestinian and Syrian conflicts, because the very capability of the Iranians to create a balance of nuclear terror with Israel changes for the worse its image and status in the eyes of its neighbors.
In the world of images, Israel, free from the burden of occupation, challenging Iran's intent to wipe it out, is once again David standing up to Goliath.
By News Agencies
http://www.haaretz.com/
Wed., December 14, 2005 Kislev 13, 5766
TEHRAN - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the Holocaust was a myth, reiterating a view that has caused international uproar and drawn a rebuke from the United Nations Security Council.
"They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God Himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he told a crowd in the southeastern city of Zahedan.
His speech was broadcast live on state television.
The Iranian president said the Europeans have used the "myth" to create a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamic world. He 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 your civilisation consists of unjust acts, oppression and poverty for the majority of the globe to provide your own people welfare, then we shout at the top of our voices that we hate your frail civilisation," he said, to rapturous cries of "God is Greatest" from the crowd.
Last week, Ahmadinejad also expressed doubt that the Holocaust took place, and suggested Israel be moved to Europe.
His comments, reported by Iran's official IRNA news agency from a news conference he gave in Mecca, followed his October call for Israel to be "wiped off the map," which sparked widespread international condemnation.
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces, and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that, they condemn that person and throw them in jail," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
----
What to do with Ahmadinejad
By Uzi Benziman
http://www.haaretz.com/
Wed., December 14, 2005 Kislev 13, 5766
When Anwar Sadat responded to the peace feelers put out by Menachem Begin, it was common belief that one of the reasons he did so was the tough image of the Likud leader and the group of ministers with whom he surrounded himself.
Begin headed a cabinet of renowned retired chiefs of staff and generals, among them Moshe Dayan, Ezer Weizman, Meir Amit and Ariel Sharon. Each of them had made a name as a daring and aggressive military leader who, during his service, had taught a lesson to the Arab enemy. Begin himself was reputed to be a hard man, zealous for his ideas, who believed that the Arabs understood only the language of force. Whether because Begin felt insecure managing matters of state on his own, or whether because he wanted his cabinet to exude a hard-line image in negotiating for peace, the fact is that he made a special effort, including a fierce debate with members of his family and with some of his senior colleagues in the Likud, to have Dayan and Sharon in his cabinet and thus complete the ring of generals around him.
Images play key roles in the international arena, and just as 28 years ago the impression the Begin government made carried significant weight in the decision by the Egyptian president to sign a peace treaty, the nuclear image that Israel has had for more than 40 years has decisive impact globally and on Israel's relations with Middle Eastern countries. This image projects a message of a giant who it is better not to trifle with - in any case not to think about in terms of a doomsday confrontation.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad has now come and cracked this shield: he proposes the option of dealing with Israel's purported nuclear capability, and calls on the Muslim world to adopt this option. In the name of Islam, Ahmadinejad calls for Israel's destruction, labels it a stain on the map of the world and delegitimizes its right to exist. Along with this, he also denies the Holocaust. This is a deep ideological view, systematic and fluent, which creates a theoretical and conceptual platform for a political worldview, and perhaps later for a plan of action in the direction of Israel's annihilation.
There is no other country in the world whose right to exist is challenged by another country. Moreover, the Iranian approach does not stem from a dispute over borders, a concrete historical argument, competition for natural resources, or the residue of national affront. Ahmadinejad's statements indicate that he is calling for Israel's destruction for religious reasons - the Jews are not worthy of independent existence, certainly not in the Islamic world.
There are two schools of thought as to how Israel should respond to the Islamic outlook. One recommends not getting worked up, and the other calls for taking the most serious view of the matter. The first places Ahmadinejad's position in the context of his verbal culture in other contexts. This view sees his inflammatory tone as typical of other Iranian discourse, internal and international. The Iranian president is a novice; he does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Iranian people; internal developments should be awaited that will one day produce a different leadership.
The opposite school of thought proposes not taking lightly the opinions expressed by the Iranian leadership, contesting them in the international arena and even making practical preparations in light of them.
Israel should take into account the pessimistic scenario and see the position expressed by Ahmadinejad as a real threat. Practical conclusions should also be drawn - to focus on this threat and as soon as possible to solve the Palestinian and Syrian conflicts, because the very capability of the Iranians to create a balance of nuclear terror with Israel changes for the worse its image and status in the eyes of its neighbors.
In the world of images, Israel, free from the burden of occupation, challenging Iran's intent to wipe it out, is once again David standing up to Goliath.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
World slams Iran's Holocaust denial
Iran's supreme ruler backs president over anti-Israel comments
http://www.haaretz.com/
Mon., December 12, 2005 Kislev 11, 5766
By News Agencies
Iran's supreme ruler came out in support of his maligned president on Saturday, who created an international storm by demanding Israel be moved to Europe and casting doubt on whether the Holocaust happened.
"The unusual sensitivity of Zionists and their American supporters toward Iran's stance over the Zionist state reveals their increased weakness and fear about the level of attention given by Islamic nations to the Palestinian issue," state-run Iranian radio quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying.
"Despite the Zionist's campaign, the struggle against the occupiers has become an old and thick tree in the Islamic world such that the arrogant powers could not sever its roots," he added.
Khamenei did not refer specifically to Ahmadinejad's remarks made Thursday in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of a Saudi Arabian summit of more than 50 Islamic nations, convened to show a Muslim front against terrorism.
But the United States, Israel, Europe, United Nations and even Iranian ally Russia condemned Ahmadinejad for casting doubt on whether the Nazi Holocaust took place and suggesting Europe give land for a Jewish state if it felt guilty about it.
Khamenei has ultimate say on all issues in Iran and backed similar controversial remarks made in October by Ahmadinejad, who said Israel should be "wiped off the map."
Later, state-run television quote Khamenei as saying the world should vote on the status of Israel and the Palestinian territories, a suggestion previously floated by other Iranian officials.
"Nations would support Iran's proposal for holding a referendum on Palestine to decide about the future of the land," he said.
Ahmadinejad emerged from the hard-line establishment as a surprise victor in June elections on a platform of helping Iran's poor and a return to the values of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Since taking office, he has pushed hard-core rhetoric recalling the revolution's leader Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iran plans to hold an international conference on "Support Palestine's Islamic Revolution" in April 2006.
Nobel peace laureate and UN nuclear watchdog agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei appeared to warn Israel not to bomb Iranian atomic facilities in a newspaper interview published Saturday.
"You cannot use force to prevent a country from obtaining nuclear weapons. By bombing them half to death, you can only delay the plans," ElBaradei was quoted as saying by the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten. "But they will come back, and they will demand revenge."
ElBaradei was in the Norwegian capital to accept the Nobel Peace Prize awarded jointly to him and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The report said ElBaradei did not mention Israel but it was clear he was referring to Israel's increasingly open discussion over whether to protect itself by bombing Iranian facilities it suspects are being used in a possible secret nuclear weapons program.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Saturday he was not interested in discussing the Iranian issue.
"We have made it clear that the policy of the state of Israel is to put the Iran issue to the Security Council and that the diplomatic channel is the proper one to deal with this matter at this time," he told Israel Radio.
However, on Friday Mofaz spoke harshly against Ahmadenijad saying Israel must prepare solutions "other than diplomatic" in the face of Tehran's persistent advancement of its nuclear program.
Speaking on a visit to the market at Hatikva neighborhood in Tel Aviv, Mofaz said, "the right move would be to let a diplomatic approach guide us, but we must also prepare other solutions."
The defense minister referred to Ahmadenijad as an "Israel hater" adding that "the combination of extreme hatred and nuclear capabilities certainly threatens the State of Israel and Western countries."
Mofaz commented on a speech Ahmadenijad made on Thursday in which he questioned the extent of the Holocaust and suggested Israel be moved to Europe.
World leaders, including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, condemned these remarks.
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail," the IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "We don't accept this claim," he said.
"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe - like in Germany, Austria or other countries - to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe," he said at a conference in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. "You offer part of Europe and we will support it."
Annan expressed shock at the comments and pointed to a UN General Assembly resolution last month that rejected "any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or in part."
He urged all UN members to "combat such denial and to educate their populations about the well established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one third of the Jewish people were murdered along with countless members of other minorities."
In October, Annan and many other leaders criticized Ahmadinejad for saying Israel should be wiped off the map.
Thursday's comments also elicited quick condemnation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called them "totally unacceptable."
At a press conference with French President Jacques Chirac near Berlin, Merkel also said: "With our historical responsibility in mind, I can only say that we reject [the comments] in the harshest possible terms. We will do everything to make it clear that Israel's right to existence is in no way endangered. I am firmly convinced that a majority in the international community has a similar opinion on this issue." Chirac said he agreed completely.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he condemns the comments "unreservedly," adding, "They have no place in civilized political debate."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "It just further underscores our concerns about the regime in Iran and it's all the more reason why it's so important that the regime not have the ability to develop nuclear weapons."
Russia also condemned Ahmadinejad's comments on Friday.
"It is difficult to comment on such unacceptable remarks," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "There are well-known historical facts concerning World War Two, including the Holocaust. These facts cannot be revised and this should be understood by everyone."
http://www.haaretz.com/
Mon., December 12, 2005 Kislev 11, 5766
By News Agencies
Iran's supreme ruler came out in support of his maligned president on Saturday, who created an international storm by demanding Israel be moved to Europe and casting doubt on whether the Holocaust happened.
"The unusual sensitivity of Zionists and their American supporters toward Iran's stance over the Zionist state reveals their increased weakness and fear about the level of attention given by Islamic nations to the Palestinian issue," state-run Iranian radio quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying.
"Despite the Zionist's campaign, the struggle against the occupiers has become an old and thick tree in the Islamic world such that the arrogant powers could not sever its roots," he added.
Khamenei did not refer specifically to Ahmadinejad's remarks made Thursday in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of a Saudi Arabian summit of more than 50 Islamic nations, convened to show a Muslim front against terrorism.
But the United States, Israel, Europe, United Nations and even Iranian ally Russia condemned Ahmadinejad for casting doubt on whether the Nazi Holocaust took place and suggesting Europe give land for a Jewish state if it felt guilty about it.
Khamenei has ultimate say on all issues in Iran and backed similar controversial remarks made in October by Ahmadinejad, who said Israel should be "wiped off the map."
Later, state-run television quote Khamenei as saying the world should vote on the status of Israel and the Palestinian territories, a suggestion previously floated by other Iranian officials.
"Nations would support Iran's proposal for holding a referendum on Palestine to decide about the future of the land," he said.
Ahmadinejad emerged from the hard-line establishment as a surprise victor in June elections on a platform of helping Iran's poor and a return to the values of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Since taking office, he has pushed hard-core rhetoric recalling the revolution's leader Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iran plans to hold an international conference on "Support Palestine's Islamic Revolution" in April 2006.
Nobel peace laureate and UN nuclear watchdog agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei appeared to warn Israel not to bomb Iranian atomic facilities in a newspaper interview published Saturday.
"You cannot use force to prevent a country from obtaining nuclear weapons. By bombing them half to death, you can only delay the plans," ElBaradei was quoted as saying by the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten. "But they will come back, and they will demand revenge."
ElBaradei was in the Norwegian capital to accept the Nobel Peace Prize awarded jointly to him and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The report said ElBaradei did not mention Israel but it was clear he was referring to Israel's increasingly open discussion over whether to protect itself by bombing Iranian facilities it suspects are being used in a possible secret nuclear weapons program.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Saturday he was not interested in discussing the Iranian issue.
"We have made it clear that the policy of the state of Israel is to put the Iran issue to the Security Council and that the diplomatic channel is the proper one to deal with this matter at this time," he told Israel Radio.
However, on Friday Mofaz spoke harshly against Ahmadenijad saying Israel must prepare solutions "other than diplomatic" in the face of Tehran's persistent advancement of its nuclear program.
Speaking on a visit to the market at Hatikva neighborhood in Tel Aviv, Mofaz said, "the right move would be to let a diplomatic approach guide us, but we must also prepare other solutions."
The defense minister referred to Ahmadenijad as an "Israel hater" adding that "the combination of extreme hatred and nuclear capabilities certainly threatens the State of Israel and Western countries."
Mofaz commented on a speech Ahmadenijad made on Thursday in which he questioned the extent of the Holocaust and suggested Israel be moved to Europe.
World leaders, including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, condemned these remarks.
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail," the IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "We don't accept this claim," he said.
"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe - like in Germany, Austria or other countries - to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe," he said at a conference in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. "You offer part of Europe and we will support it."
Annan expressed shock at the comments and pointed to a UN General Assembly resolution last month that rejected "any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or in part."
He urged all UN members to "combat such denial and to educate their populations about the well established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one third of the Jewish people were murdered along with countless members of other minorities."
In October, Annan and many other leaders criticized Ahmadinejad for saying Israel should be wiped off the map.
Thursday's comments also elicited quick condemnation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called them "totally unacceptable."
At a press conference with French President Jacques Chirac near Berlin, Merkel also said: "With our historical responsibility in mind, I can only say that we reject [the comments] in the harshest possible terms. We will do everything to make it clear that Israel's right to existence is in no way endangered. I am firmly convinced that a majority in the international community has a similar opinion on this issue." Chirac said he agreed completely.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he condemns the comments "unreservedly," adding, "They have no place in civilized political debate."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "It just further underscores our concerns about the regime in Iran and it's all the more reason why it's so important that the regime not have the ability to develop nuclear weapons."
Russia also condemned Ahmadinejad's comments on Friday.
"It is difficult to comment on such unacceptable remarks," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "There are well-known historical facts concerning World War Two, including the Holocaust. These facts cannot be revised and this should be understood by everyone."
Friday, December 09, 2005
Iran president doubts Holocaust, says Israel should move to Europe
Annan criticizes Iran leader for statement on Holocaust and Israel
By News Agencies
http://news.haaretz.co.il/
Fri., December 09, 2005 Kislev 8, 5766
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday expressed shock that Iran's president questioned the extent of the Holocaust and suggested Israel be moved to Europe.
Annan pointed to a UN General Assembly resolution last month that rejected "any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or in part."
He urged all UN members to "combat such denial and to educate their populations about the well established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one third of the Jewish people were murdered along with countless members of other minorities."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his remarks Thursday in Saudi Arabia, where he was attending an Islamic summit.
In October, Annan cricitized Ahmadinejad for calling for wiping Israel off the map. He said Israel is a UN member with the same rights and obligations as other members and is protected by the UN Charter.
Ahmadinejad's comments were reported by the official IRNA news agency.
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
"Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, we ask the Europeans: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?"
"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe - like in Germany, Austria or other countries -- to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe. You offer part of Europe and we will support it," he added.
The latest comments also provoked quick condemnation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called them "totally unacceptable" and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said "I condemn them unreservedly. They have no place in civilised political debate."
Earlier in his speech, the Iranian president said: "The question is where do those who rule in Palestine as occupiers come from? Where were they born? Where did their fathers live? They have no roots in Palestine but they have taken the fate of Palestine in their hands?
"Isn't the right to national self-determination one of the principles of the United Nations charter? Why do they deprive Palestinians of this right?" he said.
Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said in Tel Aviv Ahmadinejad was voicing "the consensus that exists in many circles in the Arab world that the Jewish people ... do not have the right to establish a Jewish, democratic state in their ancestral homeland".
"Just to remind Mr. Ahmadinejad, we've been here long before his ancestors were here," Gissin said. "Therefore, we have a birthright to be here in the land of our forefathers and to live here. Thank God we have the capability to deter and to prevent such a statement from becoming a reality."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "It just further underscores our concerns about the regime in Iran and it's all the more reason why it's so important that the regime not have the ability to develop nuclear weapons."
A news conference with French President Jacques Chirac near Berlin, Merkel also said: "With our historical responsibility in mind, I can only say that we reject them (Ahmadinejad's comments) in the harshest possible terms.
"We will do everything to make it clear that Israel's right to existence is in no way endangered. I am firmly convinced that a majority in the international community has a similar opinion on this issue," she said. Chirac said he agreed completely.
Religious hardliners in Iran do not publicly deny the Holocaust occurred but say its scale has been exaggerated to justify the creation of Israel and continued Western support for it.
Close allies when Iran was ruled by the U.S.-backed Shah, Iran and Israel have become implacable foes since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
Israel accuses Iran of giving arms and funding to militant Palestinian groups such as Islamic Jihad and of building nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charges.
Tehran calls Israel a "terrorist state" and has developed missiles that can reach Israel. It says it would use them if Israel tried to bomb its nuclear facilities.
By News Agencies
http://news.haaretz.co.il/
Fri., December 09, 2005 Kislev 8, 5766
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday expressed shock that Iran's president questioned the extent of the Holocaust and suggested Israel be moved to Europe.
Annan pointed to a UN General Assembly resolution last month that rejected "any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or in part."
He urged all UN members to "combat such denial and to educate their populations about the well established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one third of the Jewish people were murdered along with countless members of other minorities."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his remarks Thursday in Saudi Arabia, where he was attending an Islamic summit.
In October, Annan cricitized Ahmadinejad for calling for wiping Israel off the map. He said Israel is a UN member with the same rights and obligations as other members and is protected by the UN Charter.
Ahmadinejad's comments were reported by the official IRNA news agency.
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
"Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, we ask the Europeans: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?"
"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe - like in Germany, Austria or other countries -- to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe. You offer part of Europe and we will support it," he added.
The latest comments also provoked quick condemnation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called them "totally unacceptable" and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said "I condemn them unreservedly. They have no place in civilised political debate."
Earlier in his speech, the Iranian president said: "The question is where do those who rule in Palestine as occupiers come from? Where were they born? Where did their fathers live? They have no roots in Palestine but they have taken the fate of Palestine in their hands?
"Isn't the right to national self-determination one of the principles of the United Nations charter? Why do they deprive Palestinians of this right?" he said.
Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said in Tel Aviv Ahmadinejad was voicing "the consensus that exists in many circles in the Arab world that the Jewish people ... do not have the right to establish a Jewish, democratic state in their ancestral homeland".
"Just to remind Mr. Ahmadinejad, we've been here long before his ancestors were here," Gissin said. "Therefore, we have a birthright to be here in the land of our forefathers and to live here. Thank God we have the capability to deter and to prevent such a statement from becoming a reality."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "It just further underscores our concerns about the regime in Iran and it's all the more reason why it's so important that the regime not have the ability to develop nuclear weapons."
A news conference with French President Jacques Chirac near Berlin, Merkel also said: "With our historical responsibility in mind, I can only say that we reject them (Ahmadinejad's comments) in the harshest possible terms.
"We will do everything to make it clear that Israel's right to existence is in no way endangered. I am firmly convinced that a majority in the international community has a similar opinion on this issue," she said. Chirac said he agreed completely.
Religious hardliners in Iran do not publicly deny the Holocaust occurred but say its scale has been exaggerated to justify the creation of Israel and continued Western support for it.
Close allies when Iran was ruled by the U.S.-backed Shah, Iran and Israel have become implacable foes since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
Israel accuses Iran of giving arms and funding to militant Palestinian groups such as Islamic Jihad and of building nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charges.
Tehran calls Israel a "terrorist state" and has developed missiles that can reach Israel. It says it would use them if Israel tried to bomb its nuclear facilities.
