Israel was created after the Holocaust. Today, some critics argue it is carrying out a campaign that echoes the same horrors. They call it genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The charge is contested. For many Jews, linking Israel with Nazi Germany denies their own suffering. For Palestinians, the comparison is rooted in what they see daily: destroyed homes, crowded hospitals, and families forced to flee.
A Palestinian boy in Khan Younis holding a torn schoolbook, still damp from the rain seeping through the rubble.
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A grandmother in Hebron remembering how her family was pushed from their home in 1948 — watching her grandchildren displaced again.
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A doctor in Gaza writing online about treating children without anesthesia because the borders remain closed.
The question is why this continues without consequence. Observers point to Washington. The United States provides Israel with weapons, funding, and, most crucially, diplomatic protection. In the UN Security Council, U.S. vetoes block resolutions. Statements from Washington stress “Israel’s right to defend itself,” even as civilian deaths rise.
Israel’s Prime Minister faces protests and corruption trials at home. Abroad, he benefits from the tacit backing of America. With that support, limits on Israeli action seem weaker than ever.
International law is also at stake. The Genocide Convention sets a high legal bar. But UN experts and rights groups argue that the destruction in Gaza deserves scrutiny under that framework. For people under bombardment, legal debate offers little comfort.
History deepens the divide. Jews remember the Holocaust as proof of what happens when the world looks away. Palestinians now argue they face the same indifference.
The outcome matters beyond Gaza. If a people can be killed or displaced while the world hesitates, faith in human rights and international law weakens. That loss will outlast this war.
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