Shah Mohammed Riza Pahlevi of Iran said that in his view the Jewish lobby in the United States “is too powerful” and “sometimes they are disserving the interests of Israel.”
In an interview with Mike Wallace of CBS News broadcast yesterday on the TV network, the Shah was asked to explain his remark that the Jewish lobby did a disservice to the interest of Israel. He said: “They are pushing around too many people…well, pressuring. They have many means at their disposal. They are putting on pressure on many, many people. At the end, I don’t think that it will even help Israel.” He said that American Jews are “strong” because “they are controlling many things.” and this is the reason American presidents pay attention to them.
When asked by Wallace what the Jews are controlling in the U.S., the Shah replied: “Newspapers…medias…banks, finance…and I am going to step here.” He added that the New York Times and the Washington Post reflected the Jewish lobby power in the volume of news they print on Zionist and Arab questions.
Turning to the issue of the Palestinians, the Shah said that the Palestinians “must know that there is only a limit to where they can go and bully the world” by “terrorism and blackmail and this and that.” The Shah also said that the Palestinians should “really open their eyes, reassert their situation” and start a “new policy, because the actual one is going to lead them nowhere,” Asked about Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and his support of Palestinian terror, the Shah said: “He’s crazy,” adding, “No doubt, the man is absolutely irresponsible and crazy.”
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