Iran, Israel, and Incitement to Genocide

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The Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, on which many definitions of genocide are based, not only names genocide but also “direct and public incitement to commit genocide” as offenses punishable under international law. Human rights organizations have called for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to be prosecuted at the International Court of Justice for incitement to genocide, but no action has been taken as of yet.

Since the Islamic revolution in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranian leaders have publicly called for the destruction of Israel. In 2000, Khomeini said, in reference to Israel “this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region.” Ahmadinejad has pledged to “wipe Israel off the map”, and “erase Israel from the pages of history,” and referred to Jews as “stinking corpses” who are “the root cause of insecurity and wars.” This language, which is disturbingly reminiscent of Hitler’s speeches leading up to the Holocaust and Mien Kampf, has prompted a number of resolutions from around the world condemning Iran’s behavior.

Iran’s threats, in combination with their denial of the Holocaust and their efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, may be signs of genocide in the making. This raises a number of questions for historians. Can we identify parallels between Iran and pre-genocidal Germany or Turkey? Is now the appropriate time to discuss and perhaps even implement deterrence or rescue operations? After the Rwandan genocide, a number of media people were convicted of incitement to genocide; can there be prosecution before the genocide occurs? How does the potential for a nuclear genocide raise the stakes? Is Ahmadinejad analogous to Hitler, and if so, will prosecuting him for incitement to genocide prevent an actual genocide, or will someone step up to take his place? 

If genocide is in fact unfolding before our eyes, it is crucial that we act. But free speech and state sovereignty are strong considerations, too. Genocide studies can help answer some of these questions and suggest feasible courses of action.

Sources:

http://www.genocidewatch.org/
www.genocidewatch.org/images/The_Genocide_Incitement_Act_of_2012.pdf
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007839