Iran's president again doubts Holocaust

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has again cast doubt on the Holocaust and called on Muslim nations to take a proactive stand on the Palestinian issue.

The president’s comments, published today on Iranian state television’s website, were the second time in a week that he has doubted the Nazi mass murder of European Jews during the Second World War.

Ahmadinejad provoked an international outcry in October when he called Israel a “disgraceful blot” that should be “wiped off the map.”

“If the killing of Jews in Europe is true,” the website quoted Ahmadinejad as saying, “and the Zionists are being supported because of this excuse, why should the Palestinian nation pay the price?”

The television did not broadcast Ahmadinejad’s comments, and the website offered no reason.

The president was speaking yesterday at an Islamic conference in Tehran that was attended by Khaled Mashaal, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Later, Ahmadinejad discussed the Palestinian issue with Mashaal, the website reported.

“The Islamic world should give up its policy of passivity and deal with the Palestinian issue more actively,” Ahmadinejad said, according to the website. He did not elaborate.

He said the West could not play a neutral role in the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

“The West’s policy has always been in favour of the Zionist regime and to the detriment of the Islamic world. It can’t be a judge or mediator now,” Ahmadinejad 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 Organisation of the Islamic Conference that was dedicated to showing the moderate face of Islam.

Ahmadinejad’s 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.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate say on all matters, has backed Ahmadinejad’s calls for Israel’s elimination.

The controversy comes at a sensitive time for Iran, which is under heavy international pressure over its nuclear programme. The United States is pressing the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Washington accuses Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies this, saying its program is strictly for generating electricity. But the IAEA says so far it has been unable to give Iran’s nuclear program a clean bill of health.