As a proud Palestinian-American, I’ve done extensive work to humanize my people. As a peace activist, I’ve built bridges with our Israeli and Jewish brothers and sisters. I feel strongly, as many other members of the Palestinian community (and many Jewish and Israeli folks) do, about how terrible it is that so many children and other civilians are being killed in Gaza. We have every right to feel such pain. And still, comparisons to the Holocaust must end.
Every child killed in warfare is a tragedy. Take the story of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli army in January 2024. Her death sparked outrage in the Palestinian community, and deservedly so. The IDF murdered a 5-year-old girl and got away with it. But are comparisons between Rajab and Anne Frank necessary to convey the horrors of the bombardment of Gaza?
Indeed, comparisons between Gaza and the Holocaust have become popular on social media. But this is not only a problematic approach, it is also dangerous, and it perpetuates the dehumanization of the victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Every victim deserves their own story. Hind Rajab’s murder should be told to all who have let the war in Gaza continue for this long. Anne Frank’s murder should be conveyed to all who deny Nazi atrocities in one of the worst genocides in history. Comparing these two girls does not do service to either of them or their stories. They are not mere “examples” of victims.
The comparisons between Gaza and the Holocaust don’t stop there. Prominent Palestinian figures like Mohamed Hadid have outright compared the State of Israel to Nazi Germany. Hadid has gone so far as to question the number of victims killed in the Holocaust. Somewhile, while suggesting that the two are the same, he still is undermining the horrific actions of the Nazis.
Yes, the war on Gaza warrants worldwide condemnation for Israel’s actions. Still, comparisons to the Holocaust are inappropriate, inaccurate, and wildly offensive to the Jewish community. Our knee-jerk reaction may be to reject such feelings from Jewish society, but all this does is play into a slippery slope towards antisemitism.
Comparing the IDF to the Nazis is not only harsh, but outrageous in many aspects. To my great regret, I say that as someone who even made such comparisons shortly after October 7. The Nazis were a unique sort of evil that the world had largely never seen, killing not just millions of Jews, but millions of others whom they deemed “undesirable.” While the IDF has perpetrated crimes against the Palestinians, leveling Gaza to the ground, such a comparison drives deep trauma in Jews around the world and is exponentially problematic.
The Holocaust was a catastrophic point in human history, as was the Cambodian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, the Holodomor, and many other tragedies. Every one of these monstrosities deserves its recognition. With the genocide in Gaza marking another dark chapter in human history, and the bloodiest mark in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is it necessary to distort the Holocaust and Jewish suffering for Palestinians to garner sympathy?
The pro-Palestine movement needs a rebrand. Currently, it glorifies “resistance” with chants for an “intifada.” While these slogans may not intentionally be used to endorse violence, the use of such chants creates a disturbing picture for the Jewish community, many of them allies in our cause, who have long advocated for Palestinian rights and dignity. Using a term like “Holocaust” to describe the suffering in Gaza only inflames the situation further, especially when such comparisons go as far as comparing Israelis to Nazis.
Holocaust inversion not only does a disservice to the millions of Jews killed under Nazi rule, but such comparisons turn away our Jewish allies who have demanded for a ceasefire and hostage deal. By angering our Jewish brothers and sisters, we lose our credibility as a movement. Tens of thousands of Palestinians killed – and many more presumably dead – should be enough for the world to open its eyes. Unfortunately, in a post-9/11 America, Muslim lives are not often seen as equal to others; so too, antisemitism has increased significantly in the past few years. Exploiting each other’s traumas will not right either wrong, and only increases both minorities' exposure to violence and hatred. Let us stop exploiting Jewish pain for our stories to be heard.
