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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad greeting a member of the radical Neturei Karta Jewish sect at a conference questioning the Holocaust in Tehran on December 12, 2006. (Reuters)
Last update - 05:14 28/01/2007
Israel welcomes UN resolution condemning Holocaust denial
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent and Reuters

Israel on Sunday welcomed Friday's United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Holocaust denial.

The General Assembly adopted the resolution, co-sponsored by 103 countries, by consensus and without a vote.

A Foreign Ministry statement said that in recent weeks Israel has worked through its missions all over the world with a central bloc of states to promote adoption of the resolution.
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The resolution reflects the special importance with which the international community views the subject, it said, especially considering the worrying phenomenon of denial, and provides a strong answer to the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Teheran Holocaust Conference.

At the General Assembly, Iran stood by its stance that the Holocaust should be closely examined to determine its scope.

"Only by studying objectively what happened in the past, can we ensure that such crimes will never be repeated again," said Iranian delegate Hossein Gharibi.

"The seriousness and sincerity of this endeavor would be indeed undermined by rendering political judgments on such events and closing the door to any inquiry on their characteristics, scope and extent," he said.

The resolution circulated by the United States "condemns without reservation any denial of the Holocaust" and urges UN member states "unreservedly to reject any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event."

The United States and Israel said Iran's position deepened the isolation of a country under UN Security Council sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

They also warned that Iran's stance on the Holocaust - and its president's past assertions that Israel should be wiped off the map - should be viewed in light of its nuclear defiance.

"While the nations of the world gather here to affirm the historicity of the Holocaust with the intent of never again allowing genocide, a member of this assembly is acquiring the capabilities of carrying out its own," said Israel's Ambassador Dan Gillerman. "The president of Iran is in fact saying, 'There really was no Holocaust, but just in case, we shall finish the job.'"

Alejandro Wolff, the acting U.S. permanent representative to the UN, said Iran stands alone in shame for rejecting a resolution that was approved by consensus and sponsored by 104 countries.

The resolution's adoption came on the eve of UN's International Day of Commemoration in memory of victims of the Holocaust on January 27.

Gharibi accused the United States and Israel of pushing the resolution to pursue their narrow political interests through all means.

"The Israeli regime has routinely attempted to exploit the sufferings of the Jewish people in the past as a cover for the crimes its has perpetrated over the past six decades against Palestinians," he added.

The United States submitted the proposal on Tuesday and representatives of the European Union, Canada, Australia and Israel mustered the majority support for it.

By Thursday afternoon 80 states had expressed support for the proposal and diplomats said they intended to obtain the backing of more than 104 - the number of states that voted for holding an International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

The conference in Iran was sponsored by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called the Holocaust a "myth" and said Israel was a "tumor" in the Middle East.

Turkey, Russia and Germany - currently holding the European Union's presidency - acted to obtain a majority support for the proposal.

The Anti-Defamation League on Saturday welcomed the resolution and applauded the U.S. for introducing the proposal.

In a press release, the Jewish group slammed Iran for opposing the resolution.

"It was no surprise that Iran expressed its defiant opposition to the consensus of the entire General Assembly by objecting to the resolution, calling it hypocritical and an abuse of General Assembly procedure," the ADL statement read.

A senior Western diplomat told Haaretz on Thursday that a number of representatives of Arab states said that, in principle, they did not object to the resolution. "I have rarely seen such harmonious cooperation among central member states," he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last Friday that the Holocaust was "a unique tragedy that is impossible to deny."

He said the Nazis' ability to rally supporters despite their "pure evil" is still frightening.

Remembering the Holocaust is "an essential answer to people who were deceived and argue that the Holocaust never happened, or that the stories about it are exaggerated," he said.
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  1.   If the UN adopts this resolution, it will be the second good .... 06:50  |  Nadav 26/01/07
  2.   How Arabs see things through a twisted view 06:50  |  Jon 26/01/07
  3.   Who cares? 07:46  |  Rambad Zim 26/01/07
  4.   KOFFY ANAN IS A BIG NAZI 08:08  |  DANNY KATS 26/01/07
  5.   Tit for tat 09:01  |  Colin Wright 26/01/07
  6.   incredible.!!!! 10:03  |  ricardito 26/01/07
  7.   israel and its holocaust survivors 10:21  |  margriet 26/01/07
  8.   to Ramdam Zim #3 10:22  |  Marcelo 26/01/07
  9.   finally 10:55  |  Tina 26/01/07
  10.   Holocaust denial. 11:10  |  David Nigel Braham 26/01/07
  11.   Why the Holocaust Is so Important For the US 12:28  |  Arik 26/01/07
  12.   Armenian Holocaust denial is still encouraged however 12:55  |  Stephen Murray 26/01/07
  13.   the victims of the Armenian Holocaust AGAIN forgotten 12:59  |  Stephen Murray 26/01/07
  14.   #11 Arik the German is "researching" history 13:03  |  Hastaroth 26/01/07
  15.   Jew Hater Stephen Murray: Don`t use Armenian Holocaust to ....... 13:29  |  Vittorio 26/01/07
  16.   I am so glad stephen Murray does not claim.... 13:41  |  Rivki Lubin 26/01/07
  17.   #11 Arik 14:00  |  Lynn 26/01/07
  18.   #14, Hasteroth 14:10  |  Hannah 26/01/07
  19.   #1 Nadav 14:15  |  Lynn 26/01/07
  20.   What happen to the Holocaust files? 14:28  |  Dav 26/01/07
  21.   Stephen Murray 14:39  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  22.   Stephen Murray: Do You Also Condemn Turkey? 14:46  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  23.   Anti semitism and Racism: Whats the difference? 14:55  |  Moise 26/01/07
  24.   #15, Vittorio 15:04  |  Hannah 26/01/07
  25.   #22, so-called Hannah : My English is good enough to express my 15:22  |  Vittorio 26/01/07
  26.   Stephen Murray: Genocide 15:22  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  27.   14# Hastaroth 15:56  |  Arik 26/01/07
  28.   Stephen Murray: Armenian Genocide Denial Is Alive in 15:56  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  29.   Hannah, Stephen Murrey, Clicky... 15:59  |  Clicksh-t 26/01/07
  30.   17# Dear Lynn 16:02  |  Arik 26/01/07
  31.   Arik: Can You Perhaps Explain to Us Your Theory 16:10  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  32.   12. Stephen Murray: Armenian Holocaust denial 16:53  |  KUTW 26/01/07
  33.   Is `Arik` on drugs? 16:59  |  Rufus 26/01/07
  34.   Danny Katz 17:03  |  rufus 26/01/07
  35.   I CALL A CONFRENCE TO DISCUSS IF AHMADINEJAD IS REALLY A MONKEY 17:28  |  P 26/01/07
  36.   #4, Danny 17:56  |  Hannah 26/01/07
  37.   GET THE SMELLING SALT 17:59  |  TOBIA 26/01/07
  38.   #15: Vittorio: You amuse me very much 17:59  |  Stephen Murray 26/01/07
  39.   CHGODMK: When has Israel denied the Armenian Holocaust 18:05  |  Stephen Murray 26/01/07
  40.   THEY LOOKED THE OTHER WAY 18:06  |  TOBIA 26/01/07
  41.   ALL OF EUROPE 18:12  |  TOBIA 26/01/07
  42.   Explain that, you paranoid lot 18:19  |  Int`l community 26/01/07
  43.   A WORD FOR VITTORIO 18:21  |  Brant 26/01/07
  44.   A WORD FOR VITTORIO 18:21  |  Brant 26/01/07
  45.   Stephen Murray....what is your point? 18:21  |  SHIMON 26/01/07
  46.   YOU ARE OK DANNY. 18:22  |  OBIA 26/01/07
  47.   Stephen Murray...did Israel comit that genoice? NO!! 18:22  |  SHIMON 26/01/07
  48.   Stephen Murray - Armenians and Turks 18:33  |  David Israel 26/01/07
  49.   Stephen Murray 18:34  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  50.   Stephen Murray - so what are you doing about it? 18:39  |  Gina 26/01/07
  51.   Stephen an ignorant 18:42  |  Aby 26/01/07
  52.   Holocaust denial v Freedom of Speech 18:43  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/01/07
  53.   Hannah and why her views don`t really matter 18:49  |  Cat 26/01/07
  54.   The Armenian genocide 18:49  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/01/07
  55.   Denied by who SM? #12 18:56  |  William 26/01/07
  56.   The Holocaust is a "myth", and Israel is a "tumor" 18:58  |  Rivki Lubin 26/01/07
  57.   Hannah - you obviously have no argument #24 19:07  |  William 26/01/07
  58.   Hastaroth # 14 19:09  |  ChanahS 26/01/07
  59.   SM - so the Muslims did the Holocaust? #33 19:13  |  William 26/01/07
  60.   We Must Mature! 19:13  |  Brian Freund 26/01/07
  61.   So-called Hannah 19:14  |  ChanahS 26/01/07
  62.   # 32 19:15  |  ChanahS 26/01/07
  63.   Israel Does not deny Armenian Genocide 19:16  |  Yank 26/01/07
  64.   SM - Ahminejad of Holland #32 19:21  |  William 26/01/07
  65.   Turks, Armenians, Genocide, and America 19:27  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  66.   I need an objective explanation. 19:34  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 26/01/07
  67.   Brian Freund: I Wholeheartedly Agree 19:35  |  CHGODMK 26/01/07
  68.   World Jewry and Israel 19:35  |  Priscilla Alexander 26/01/07
  69.   Brian 19:42  |  Michael Korn 26/01/07
  70.   reply to Ahmose the Egyptan #60 19:58  |  Reuben jacobs 26/01/07
  71.   What a Self serving Post Prisc