Fidel Castro criticized Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust and advocated global nuclear disarmament, specifically recommending to Israel that the only way it can achieve security is through dropping its nuclear arsenal, in an interview published online Tuesday.
Cuba’s revolutionary leader also discouraged the United States and Israel from using sanctions and threats as a strategy to deter Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons of its own, The Atlantic magazine reported on its website.
“This problem is not going to get resolved, because the Iranians are not going to back down in the face of threats,” Castro told the magazine.
The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg spent three days in Cuba interviewing Castro, describing him as “frail and aged” — two bodyguards held the former leader by the elbow when Castro greeted Goldberg — along with an “acute” mind, “high” energy level and “a self-deprecating sense of humor.”
Castro advised Ahmadinejad, a repeated Holocaust denier, to understand the “unique” history of anti-Semitism.
“I don’t think anyone has been slandered more than the Jews,” Castro told the magazine.
“I would say much more than the Muslims. They have been slandered much more than the Muslims because they are blamed and slandered for everything. No one blames the Muslims for anything.
“The Jews have lived an existence that is much harder than ours,” Castro told the magazine. “There is nothing that compares to the Holocaust.”
Castro’s comments come the week of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.
His remarks also came less than three weeks before the U.N. General Assembly is scheduled to convene in New York Sept. 23. Ahmadinejad has attended the annual meeting of world leaders representing Iran, which is a U.N. member.
Before last year’s meeting, Ahmadinejad said he was proud that denying the Holocaust had angered Western governments.
Castro, who set off the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, told the magazine that he advocated nuclear disarmament not just for Israel but for all nuclear powers as the only way to guarantee global security.
THOUGH HE MAY BE COMMUNIST WHAT DID THE COM’S DO TO JEW’S CUBA?????????????????????????????
Castro could very well be a descendant of the Jews of Spain that were forced into Christianity some 500 years ago. Most interesting is the name Castro belongs to a very famous Mekubal of that time period.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
You say Tomato, I say Tomaato. Both people’s views hurt Jews. Fidel is a communist and communism was never a friend of the Jews.
one way to get attention and return to the world stage
castro is friends with chaves and chaves is friends with ahmadinejad and now castro is critizising ahmadinejad.
just this past shabbos i had a conversation whether or not castro was a friend of the jews. i said that he treated the jews well in cuba which is why he has lasted so long because of that brocho. and now i read this. interesting. cuba is not like the former soviet union. the jews are free to practice in cuba.
on the other hand if israel did not have nukes then a war against it would start tommoroow
Thank you for this article. I find it interesting and fascinating.
Castro has been at odds with the West, and frankly I don’t agree with his worldview. But the fact is that he has tried to do the best for his people and has always seemed to me to be genuine.
Check your history… Castro has always supported Jewish causes coming to the island and has spoken in Shuls, and is fond of our heritage and history.
trying to get on or good side?? he is and always will be a jew hater…. wats he gaining??
it doesnt matter if oh so one nice guy stands up for us but what about the arabs?!?!?!? WE have proof. u cant just deny history! Its like saying, Oh, there is no such thing as the six day war. DU?H THERE IS!!! of course the holoucaust is MUCH bigger…
So is he not a Jew hater?
Very confusing