Yesterday was Holocaust Memorial Day, which has taken on extra resonance this year. Netanyahu gave an address at Vad Yashem, the memorial site to Holocaust victims and to honor their rescuers.
Here are some excerpts:
…]T]he horrific terrorist attack of October 7th was not a Holocaust. Not because they lacked the intent of genocide, but because they lack the ability to carry it out. The intention is the same; the Nazis acted in order to completely destroy the Jewish people. The Hamas murderers are instructed to do the exact same thing. …
But unlike in the Holocaust, when we were helpless against our enemies, today we have our own defensive might.
After the October 7th massacre, we initiated a war against our assailants. A war that, by the help of God, will end in our absolute victory. …
We are fighting on two fronts: The first, the fanatical regime in Iran and its terror proxies, who act with the clear intention to destroy us; the second, the antisemitic volcano eruption that spits burning lava of lies against us, all around the world.
I say this simply: The suppressed antisemitism in the West, that bubbled under the surface ever since the Holocaust, is now rearing its ugly head.
Previous generations spread lies of how Jews poisoned wells, used the blood of children to make matza, and spread disease. Today, they spread new lies, that we are committing genocide and causing famine in Gaza. This could not be further from the truth. …
The lie has become truth, truth turned into lies. As the prophet Isaiah said: ‘Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that change darkness into light, and light into darkness.’
This madness has reached the most prestigious campuses in the West. …
This is reminiscent of things that happened in German universities in the 1930s. …
The attempt to tie our hands originates from various parties in the international community.
From here, from Jerusalem, on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, I send a message, loud and clear: ‘You will not tie our hands.’
If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. But we know we are not alone because countless decent people around the world support our just cause. And I say to you, we will defeat our genocidal enemies.
Never again is now!
It was a stirring speech. Unfortunately, Israel is somewhat dependent on American ammunition, and one of the groups trying to tie Israel’s hands is reportedly the Biden administration.
One thing Netanyahu didn’t mention is that great deal of the propaganda – and lies – from Hamas and its supporters consists of what might be called Holocaust envy and Holocaust appropriation; genocide envy and genocide appropriation. The Palestinians say they are the Holocaust victims at the hands of Nazi Israelis and they are the genocide victims at the hands of genocidal Israelis. It’s a particularly vicious and sadistically twisted accusation, given Jewish history – what I would call an Orwellian reversal of the truth.
And much of the world is buying it, not always for the same reasons. Europe gets off the hook for its own participation in the Holocaust by believing this. Third world nations and the Left fit it into their simplistic framework of oppressor/oppressed in which a successful capitalist nation such as Israeli is always the villain. For perennial anti-Semites it’s a no-brainer. For internationalists it’s a reflex to blame a nationalist country such as Israel – and although there’s a contradiction in their championing Palestinian nationalism, they’ll happily make an exception.
Meanwhile, the Iranian mullahs must be very amused.
NOTE: As a Rafah invasion looms, Hamas says oh wait, we agreed to a ceasefire; Israel says Hamas didn’t meet its demands at all.