Passover Gift: Nobel Laureate's Poem for Israel
German Nobel laureate Guenter Grass' new poem: Nuclear Israel is a threat to world peace
Grass publishes a poem criticizing Israel's role in the Israel-Iran conflict; Israel embassy in Germany says poem is 'blood libel.'
By Ofer Aderet Tags: Iran nuclear Iran threat
German Nobel literature laureate
Guenter Grass published a poem Wednesday in which he said that Israel's
nuclear program is a threat to world peace.
In his poem, the 85-year-old
author claims that Israel’s nuclear reactor – and not Iran’s – presents a
threat to world peace. Grass’ poem calls for Germany to cease supplying
Israel with submarines, and warns against an Israeli strike on Iran.
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Guenter Grass |
| Photo by: Reuters |
The poem, entitled “What must be said,” will be published on Wednesday
in the Deutsche Zeitung and La Republica. In the poem, Grass writes that
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a “big mouth,” and that the
intentions of the Iranian nuclear program are not proven.
The poem drew sharp criticism in
Germany, Israel and among Jewish organizations. The Israeli embassy in
Germany said that the poem was in line with the 'tradition of blood
libel ahead of Passover."
Grass also claims that “Israel’s
nuclear potential has been stealthily growing for years,” without being
under any kind of international supervision. Grass believes that Israel
is planning to arm submarines recently purchased from Germany with
nuclear warheads.
“Germany could be responsible for a crime that can be foreseen," Grass said.
Grass achieved fame with his
first novel “The Tin Drum.” Many of his stories have been translated
into Hebrew and English. In 2006, Grass admitted for the first time to
serving in Hitler's Waffen SS during the Second World War. Today, Grass
is an active member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
As published online at Haaretz, 4 April 2012
Labels: Iran, Israel, Prejudices, Technology
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, April 04, 2012
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