Zionism and Nazism have historical relationship: US writer

An American writer and political activist says the historical relationship between Zionism and Nazism is well-documented and that those who accuse the British Labour Party of anti-Semitism are trying to prevent  party members from criticizing Zionism and its crimes against the Palestinian people.

Ralph Schoenman, former personal secretary of British philosopher Bertrand Russell, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday while commenting on former mayor of London Ken Livingstone’s recent remarks in which he linked Zionism to Nazism.

Britain's opposition Labour Party suspended Livingstone on Thursday after he denounced Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people and argued that Adolf Hitler was a supporter of Zionism.

"When Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews," Livingstone said.

Schoenman said, “The issue of the relationship of Zionism to the Nazis and to the fate of the Jews, and the extermination plans, is well-documented.”

“It’s documented in my book; it’s documented in many of the studies about the nature of Zionism, and the history with respect to the subjugation of Palestinian people,” added the author of the Hidden History of Zionism.

“And it’s that which Livingstone and others in the British Labour Party have been pointing to, because they are defending those who oppose the Zionist state, and those who oppose the Zionist state include many prominent Jews themselves who have long been anti-Zionist, and this is who defend the Palestinian people. And that’s what this expulsion of Ken Livingstone attempted to prevent, and attempted to suppress,” he concluded.

In an interview with radio station LBC on Saturday, Livingstone refused to apologize to Jews for his comments linking Zionism to Nazism, saying “I can’t bring myself to deny the truth.”

He said he regretted bringing Hitler into the debate, but what he said was nothing but the truth. “I’m sorry that I said that because it’s wasted all this time; but I can’t bring myself to deny the truth, and I’m not going to do that. I’m sorry it’s caused disruption.”

“I never regret saying something that is true,” said Livingstone, who last week put forward a fiery defense of Naz Shah, a member of the British Parliament who recently resigned as an aide to the party’s shadow chancellor last week after being forced to apologize for backing calls for Israel to “relocate” to the United States.

Both Livingstone and Shah have been accused of anti-Semitism by the mainstream British media for criticizing Israel’s policies against Palestinians.     

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