What about Mengistu?
This week, the Washington Post’s Outlook Section looked at a number of tyrants who haven’t made the news. Douglas Farah looked at tyrants in Africa. Robert D. Kaplan looked at potential successors to the likes of Saddam Hussein.Yet for all these lesser known tyrants one still escapes mention. Not as Instapundit laments, Robert Mugabe.
Probably the most murderous tyrant of the 1980’s was Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia. Now a guest of Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Mengistu is guilty of causing the deaths of about 1,000,000 people as his resettelment policy exacerbated a drought into a famine. (I’ve also seen the figure that his security forces killed 500,000 in a program called “Red Terror.” But it wasn’t clear if that was in addition to or included in the million who died in 1984-1985.)
For all the outrage we’ve seen generated over the massacres and genocides in the Balkans, Rwanda and, now, Darfur, there was little outrage over the massive destruction in Ethiopia.
One of the byproducts of that ignorance is that little attention has been paid to the one country that did the most to save Ethiopians - Israel. Israel rescued thousands of Ethiopian Jews from certain death. But despite the tremendous humanitarian effort, Israel received precious little credit for it. (The New York Times, immorally, broke the story of the rescue too soon causing the effort to be suspended. But the rescue has continued til today.)
Martin Peretz recounted and outrageous example of how Israel’s efforts were viewed by Jesse Jackson (Washington Diarist, The New Republic Feb 11, 1985)
Teddy Kollek, the mayor of Jerusalem, thought Jesse Jackson might be somehow able to help extricate these folk from their imprisonment. If Jackson, who has put himself in the business of public rescue, were to succeed it certainly would reduce the hostility felt toward him by Jews and others who don’t like anti-Semitism. So Kollek cabled Jackson and asked for help.
That much was in the papers. What was not in the papers was Jackson’s response, which was shameless. In a phone call to Kollek, Jackson explained that he had some questions and some conditions. Would the Ethiopian Jews serve in the Israeli army and become a “military asset”? And might not some of the new citizens of Israel settle on the West Bank? Alas, the answer to both of these questions would have to be “Yes.” None of this makes Jesse Jackson very happy; he might be more eager to redeem Jews if they would forswear defending their homeland. And, oh yes, Jackson had one more stipulation: before he’d consider doing anything, the prime minister of Israel would have to make a public plea for his intervention. How can someone who traffics so calously in the oppression of one group speak compellingly for the freedom of another?
No it’s not just “Hymietown.”
Israel’s rescue should have been one of the stories of the decade. Even if the absorption of the Ethiopian Jews hasn’t always gone smoothly it’s still a remarkable achievement.
Instead the world preferred to downplay Mengistu’s evil as well as Israel’s benevolence. Neither quite fit the storyline we were supposed to believe.
Technorati tags: Israel, tyrants, Mengistu, Ethiopian Jews.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.
The US paid for most of Operation Moses and helped run the operation. The NY Times had the story for weeks but DID NOT PRINT IT. They were given the story by affilliates of the Israeli government who did NOT want a rescue. The NY Times spoke with the men at State who ran the operation and held the story ar their request. later, the same men who leaked to the Times leaked to the Washington Jewish Week. The WJW did NOT ask State – it simply ran the story. The Times (and the Boston Globe, which also was leaked to and also went to State and HELD THE STORY) was furious and ran the story the next day. Theoperation continued for almost 6 more weeks until PM SHIMON PERES ANNOUNCED THE AIRLIFT on January 5, 1985. The rescue ended the next day, as a DIRECT RESULT OF PERES’ ACTIONS.
So, the whole point of your post is wrong.
Further, remeber Live Aid? The millions of dollars raised for Ethiopian famine relief? Front page stories in all major dailies. Lead stories on the network’s evening news. Heavy coverage on CNN. (I briefly spoke to Ted Turner about the situation in early July 1984.)
If you want to know details, email me.
Comment by Shmarya
— April 24, 2006 @ 4:39 am
You mentioned Mengistu as a last standing tyrant who is still leading his peaceful life in harare and not facing a consequence for what he had done to ethiopians during his presidency, which i totaly agree. but i am applaud by your failure to mention about the current ethiopian regime who just successfully finished killing 80 peaceful protestors against what many independent western observers called a rigged election result. Remember these protesters were unarmed and aged from 5 - 76 year olds with women included. if you are really concerned about the yet unprocecuted tyrants who were oppressing their people during their reign then, in my opinion, as a concerned citizen, you should also be very worried about the ones that are currently on power and continue the killing in style under western government watch. the likes of the current leader Meles Zenawi of ethiopia.
shalamaz wrote
Comment by shalamaz
— April 24, 2006 @ 7:09 am
In comments at Israpundit Failed Messiah writes
Truthfully I either didn’t know or remember all of this. I don’t think that it changes my main points that a) Mengistu’s tyranny was not adequately acknowledged b) Israel’s rescue of Ethiopian Jewry was not appreciated. I didn’t write (though I may have implied) that Israel was the only country to save Ethiopians. I still think that Israel’s rescue was highly undervalued and Failed Messiah doesn’t convince me otherwise. Nor does he convince me that the New York Times was correct in its actions. That others were wrong doesn’t absolve the Times.
As far as commenter Shalamaz goes, I didn’t mean to whitewash anyone. Though Ethiopia was on the map at the Washington Post it had no information about the crimes of the current regime.
Comment by soccerdad
— April 24, 2006 @ 7:29 am
I think the Washington Post was talking about tyrants still in power, if i get it right.One of the few differences of Meles and Mengistu is , Meles seems to have convinced the West of his determination to `democratise’ Ethiopia, while Mengistu never tried to be seen as a democrat at all.When Mengistu killed innocent Ethiopians and some of his own generals,he annonced it on mass media, Meles rather kills and tells u they were trying to kill the police , so the police has to ‘defend’ themselves.
Comment by tedidan
— April 24, 2006 @ 8:22 am
Those who are offended by this article are ex-Derg members. In other words they where complicit in the crimes you described. That is why they try to implicate the current democratic govt. which is responsible for their demise. They hate PM Meles Zenawi because he and the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation front/Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Forces TPLF/EPRDF ended their reign of tyranny. To that end when ever someone like this website exposes their crime, they try and white wash their vicious crimes by bringing up PM Meles Zenawi. People do not be fooled by these Nazi like criminals. Yes they killed 1 million people. They are Nazi like!
Comment by democratethio
— April 24, 2006 @ 9:05 am
“Others” leaked the story. Others printed it first, even though they new it would KILL JEWS. Those “others” were well-connected Jews and Israelis.
Without the US there would have been no Operation Moses.
Both of these facts certainly weaken the point of your post.
Comment by Shmarya
— April 24, 2006 @ 10:02 am
Cannibal Mengistu Hailemariam is the worst tyanrt Africa has seen. There is no one that tops him in his brutality. Mengistu Hailemariam and his derg regime massacred hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians. He starved to death over a million Ethiopians. I urge Oxford dictionary to put the pictue of Cannibal Mengistu next to the word EVIL.
Comment by Woyane
— April 24, 2006 @ 12:50 pm
Those of you (you know yourself) who are willingly to be ignorant and continue to support the current evil nazi government of ethiopia, TPLF/EPRDF, you have a bad day (i suppose). here is why. todays news on ethiopia was about the US house is about to vote on passing a bill that will expose the current masked evil government of ethiopia, its true self, and enforce the Bush administration not to give military equipment that are so far has been used to kill innocent Ethiopians everyday. Unless you are part of or masked foot soldiers of the current evil administration of ethiopia, as an ethiopian or even as a democracy loving person you should be happy to hear about this news. by the way the bill is titled HR 4423
By the way for those people who are honest and have no knowledge about the current situation of ethiopia including soccerdad here is today’s article on washington post on the current evil leader, Meles Zenawi. By the way, He is listed as second of the 8 worst current world tyrants that are on power. ha, so what should i say to the two persons wrote their comment under the names “democratethio” and “woyane”, hmmmm double OOPS!!
shalamaz
Comment by shalamaz
— April 24, 2006 @ 4:42 pm
[…] What about mengistu? IsraPundit, Canada - Apr 24, 2006 Not as Instapundit laments, Robert Mugabe. Probably the most murderous tyrant of the 1980 s was Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia. […]
Pingback by Global Geopolitics News » African News - Malawians, diplomats fume over Robert Mugabe Road
— April 25, 2006 @ 1:19 pm
Dear people of Israel,
Beware of these ex Derg CUD murderers of today. We appreciate you recognizing their evil and posting it on your site. These are the same evil people who sold the Falasha for money. We know you paid their ransom in good faith while these Derg cadres today named CUD or Kinijet sold them like cattle. Yes as you indicated they are murderers. Thank you.
Comment by democratethio
— April 25, 2006 @ 1:27 pm
By now, all concious minded people know who “democratethio” is from his writing so far. I gave him all the facts and he is still defending the tyrant who is on a pace to kill more than 3 million people before his day comes just like his predecessors. ‘Good’ job democratethio. As your boss, you got your day to get exposed. Haven’t you? Incase anybody wants to read the washington post article on the list of the 8 world’s worst tyrant in power, which also contains the current leader of Ethiopia (in second place, by the way), Meles Zenawi, here is a link,
The washington post
Democracy for all
Comment by shalamaz
— April 26, 2006 @ 12:16 pm