FACT CHECK: Van Jones (CNN) claims that Iran says "death to all the Jews"

posted 359 days ago by AntonioOfVenice 359 days ago by AntonioOfVenice +16 / -0

According to Van Jones, an ignorant blowhard and ruling class ideologue on the fake news network CNN, Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and the reason for that is that they say "death to all the Jews".

FACT CHECK: pants on fire.

REALITY: Iran has never said anything about "the Jews", let alone that they should all die. In fact, Iran has the largest Jewish minority in the Middle East after Israel, and it's not because the government has not been able to find them.

Iran makes a distinction between Judaism, which they regard as a religion, and Zionism, which they regard as a political ideology that they oppose. To quote Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran:

There are Jews living in various countries;in Iran Jews live respectably 'cuz its their own country but #Zionism is different from #Judaism. source

Quite a far cry from "death to all the Jews".

But I guess all's fair in manufacturing consent for senseless wars. And this guy is supposedly a "radical". And yet here he is lying for the war machine.

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– Kienan 1 point 359 days ago +1 / -0

I'm actually shocked that you would think such a thing. That's one thing I'm absolutely sure they never said.

I was curious, and looked it up.

I know AI isn't reliable, but it is an interesting and easy yardstick. If there was easily accessible information, it would pull it up. It didn't. So I'm inclined to agree; media can't point to Iran saying "death to the Jews."

Brave results (condensed by me):

Iranian officials have used rhetoric that includes calls for the destruction of Israel, often employing terms like "death to Israel" during events such as Quds Day rallies.

However, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has stated that Iran does not have anything against Jews and that the call to "wipe Israel off the map" refers to the elimination of the "Zionist regime" rather than the Jewish people themselves.

Despite this distinction, Iranian state media and officials have consistently used pejorative terms to delegitimize Israel, referring to it as the "Zionist regime" and "Occupied Palestine," which implies that it is an oppressive regime rather than a legitimate sovereign state.

As the kids say: LOL, LMAO, EVEN.

They have nothing. Essentially: "They don't say death to the Jews, but they don't like Israel, and that's totally the same thing."

Some Iranian officials have gone further, using dehumanizing language that characterizes Jews in derogatory terms, such as "filthy bacteria" and "wild beasts". This rhetoric has been criticized as incitement to genocide, with calls for the international community to take action against such speech.

Considering the other bullshit this pulled up, I'd need to see specific examples of the "dehumanizing language," and who it was really directed toward.

Result 1: Brave says no, Iran doesn't say death to the Jews.

Google (again condensed by me):

While some sources indicate that the Iranian government and some of its leaders have made statements and slogans that are widely considered to be anti-Semitic and hostile toward Israel, including calling for Israel's destruction and questioning or denying the Holocaust, it's important to understand the context and different interpretations of this rhetoric.

I fucking hate AI-speak. What does that initial paragraph even me? Nothing, basically. It's just wishy-washy nonsense.

Specifically regarding the phrase "Death to the Jews":
"Death to Israel" or "Down with Israel" is a slogan commonly used in Iran...Iranian leaders have stated that "Death to Israel" is not directed at the Jewish people or Judaism, but rather at the Israeli government and its policies.

However, critics argue that...

Stopping you right there, Google. Moving on.

In summary:

While the Iranian government and its leadership primarily use the slogan "Death to Israel," which they claim is directed at the government and not the Jewish people, the close connection between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism in their rhetoric and propaganda raises concerns about the broader implications of their statements.

So, no. No, Iran does not say "Death to the Jews."

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– AntonioOfVenice [S] 1 point 359 days ago +1 / -0

They have nothing. Essentially: "They don't say death to the Jews, but they don't like Israel, and that's totally the same thing."

I mean, didn't the House pass a law defining saying that Christ was killed by Jews as anti-Semitism? Such conflation are commonplace nowadays, and perhaps always have been (I'm rereading Mearsheimer's Israel Lobby).

However, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has stated that Iran does not have anything against Jews and that the call to "wipe Israel off the map" refers to the elimination of the "Zionist regime" rather than the Jewish people themselves.

Regime change, if you will. Good when the deep state does it, bad when others call for it.

Considering the other bullshit this pulled up, I'd need to see specific examples of the "dehumanizing language," and who it was really directed toward.

There may well be some nutjobs who attack Jews. But I don't think that marginal people qualifies as "Iran" saying that, no more than you can say that the Israeli state approves of the actions of Dr. Baruch Goldstein because the Minister of the Interior Ben Ghvir does/did. It would have to be someone or an institution able to speak for the state.

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