Speaking at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on the international community to “act against anti-Semitism,” saying “we must respond when criticism of the Israeli government policy crosses over to anti-Semitism.”
“Let me begin by acknowledging that here in this museum, it’s important to note that every generation produces extremist voices denying that the Holocaust ever happened,” Clinton said. “And we must remain vigilant against those deniers and against anti-Semitism.
“When heads of states and religious leaders deny the Holocaust from their pulpits, we must not let their lies go unanswered,” she said.
“When we hear Holocaust glorification and public calls to, quote, ‘finish the job,’ we need to make clear that violence and bigotry will not be tolerated,” she continued. “And, yes, when criticism of Israeli government policies crosses over into demonization of Israel and Jews, we must push back.”
While the Secretary of State called for the US to “act before the match is struck,” in an apparent reference to Syria and Iran, she continued to advocate a strategy of prevention that is “not a code for military action, rather, a focus on diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, law enforcement and sanctions” to achieve results.
When a “fire is at full blaze, our actions will be less effective,” Clinton added.
“We said never again, but every day we see campaigns of harassment and violence aimed at the destruction of a particular group. This is the definition of genocide,” she concluded.
The museum released a recent poll showing that substantial majorities of Americans believe that genocide is still possible and favor implementing policies of prevention. The poll, commissioned and conducted by Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm, and Penn Schoen Berland, a pollster, showed that 94 percent of Americans believe genocide “is still very much a concern and could occur today.”
It also showed that 69 percent “think the U.S. should prevent or stop genocide or mass atrocities from occurring in another part of the world.”
