Tehran rejects Israeli-Arab seeking to prove Shoah
Iranians insist Holocaust conference 'objective', 'not political'. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Ministry denies visa to Israeli Arab interested in proving Holocaust. Meanwhile, ADL slams Mahamid's museum for comparing between Palestinian refugees and Holocaust survivors
"I wanted to face the Holocaust deniers and prove to them that they should recognize the Holocaust," said Mahamid. "Recognizing the Holocaust could start a different policy based on acknowledging what makes up 90 percent of the Jewish identity."
Mahamid has opened a small museum in Nazareth, which receives at least ten Arab visitors per day who come to learn about the Holocaust.
As soon as the lawyer heard about the Holocaust deniers' intention to hold a conference in the matter, he contacted the organizers of the conference, the Institute for International and Political Research in Iran.
According to Mahamid, after corresponding with the organizers and submitting his information, including the fact that he was Israeli, he did not hear from them again.
Mahamid then called the Iranian Embassy is Jordan and was notified that he was not on the list of visa recipients.
His final attempt was to contact the Iranian Foreign Ministry, where he also received no response.
"I was disappointed when I didn't get a visa. I wanted to be an ambassador of the Jews and the Palestinians at this conference, so that the suffering of each nation could lead to a peaceful solution and coexistence." Said Mahamid.
ADL: Mahamid compares Palestinian refugees to Holocaust survivors
The Anti-Defamation League has issued a statement two weeks ago, in response to Mahamid's plan to attend the Iran conference. The statement lauded the existence of an Arab museum commemorating the Holocaust, but criticized the messages it appears to convey.
"The Anti-Defamation League is deeply concerned that founder and curator Khaled Mahamid has based certain elements of his Arab Institute for Holocaust Research and Education museum on the false premise that the Palestinian people are paying the price for European guilt over the Holocaust by having what they believe is an illegitimate Jewish state in the heart of the Arab world.," the statement read.
"By placing the PLO flag at the museum as well as posters of Palestinian refugees and photos of Palestinian victims of violence juxtaposed next to Jewish victims of the Holocaust, Mr. Mahamid also seeks to create a totally inappropriate connection between the plight of the Palestinians and the Jewish Holocaust victims. This approach undoes much of the benefit the museum could have," the ADL stated.
