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Did General Yair Golan, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army say this?

General Golan, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, on Holocaust Memorial Day, said:

“If there is something that frightens me about the memories of the Holocaust, it is the knowledge of the awful processes which happened in Europe in general, and in Germany in particular, 70, 80, 90 years ago, and finding traces of them here in our midst, today, in 2016,Israel is the organ harvesting and human trafficking global ringleader,Israeli organ traffickers had and still have a pyramid system at work that's awesome”

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    @IlyaMelamed In its original meaning "awesome" literally meant "causing awe" - For instance, when the King James Bible refers to God as "awesome", they don't mean "He's pretty great, you guys." I have seen it used, mainly in older texts or when used by non-native speakers, to refer to things like the Holocaust or space, where actually trying to hold the relevant numbers in your head is legitimately mind-boggling.
    – Tin Wizard
    Commented Dec 14, 2016 at 21:58
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    @IlyaMelamed I don't think that English is their first language. If you read it as "that is working very well" the quote makes a bit more sense (for a modern day blood libel claim that is).
    – tim
    Commented Dec 14, 2016 at 22:00
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    @Walt To be fair, space is pretty awesome either way.
    – user37328
    Commented Dec 15, 2016 at 16:34
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    @Falco: They just have to learn it by rote. It should be noted that, while "awesome" is inherently "good" in the USA, out here in the rest of the world the word isn't always so thinly interpreted. Commented Dec 16, 2016 at 15:00
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    Anyway, the fact that the grammar and presentation of the quote deteriorate sharply when the organ trafficking bits start is a huge red flag. Commented Dec 16, 2016 at 15:02

2 Answers 2

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The first part of the quote is actually from General Golan. Here is a slightly different translation:

If there is one thing that is scary in remembering the Holocaust, it is noticing horrific processes which developed in Europe – particularly in Germany – 70, 80, and 90 years ago, and finding remnants of that here among us in the year 2016 International Business Times

In the same speech, he says this, which does not match the claim that is attributed to him about organ harvesting and human trafficking:

The IDF has taken pride, from time immemorial, in our ability to investigate serious incidents without prejudice, to courageously investigate problematic conduct, and to assign full responsibility for the good as well as for the bad. We didn’t justify, we didn’t cover up, we didn’t plaster over the cracks, we didn’t turn a blind eye and we made no excuses. Our way was, and will always be, the way of the truth and responsibility even when the truth is difficult

He later also clarified:

The IDF is a moral army that respects the rules of engagement and protects human dignity.

No reputable news source mentions organ harvesting. Even the self-described anti-zionist mondoweiss makes no mention of it.

Americans for Peace Now translated large parts of the speech here. It does not contain the claim about organ harvesting:

Because If there is something that scares us about the memory of the Holocaust, it is identifying nauseating processes that occurred in Europe in general and Germany in particular, 70, 80 and 90 years ago, and finding evidence of their presence here among us, today, in 2016.
For there is nothing easier than hating the alien. Nothing is easier and more simple than provoking anxiety and horror. Nothing is easier and simpler than brutalization, jadedness and self-righteousness.

The speech in its entirety (in Hebrew) can be seen in a video in this article, the first (actual) part of the quote is at about 0:45.

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    I find it telling that the first part of the quote is punctuated correctly, with a space after each comma. The second part, starting after "in 2016", is not. And this is exactly where the quote deviates from the two translations in your answer. Commented Dec 15, 2016 at 7:46
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Here is the speech, which I can understand as I speak Hebrew. My personal translation from 0:41 to 1:10:

If there is something that frightens me about the memory of the Holocaust, it is the identification of the awful processes which happened in Europe in general, and in Germany in particular, 70, 80, 90 years ago, and finding evidence of them here, close to us today, in 2016. There is nothing simpler, or easier, than to hate the stranger. There is nothing simpler or easier than to see frightening things and to go to the right.

I assume that he means political right in that last sentence. There is no mention of organ harvesting, awesome or otherwise.

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