I know that one time a holocaust survivor spoke of the thirst she felt during that time and how it was indescribable, and I think of all the missing Palestinians that had their bones crushed to rubble as they waited for hours to be rescued, and all those that didn’t survive. I think of how Israel dehumanized them and ethnically cleansed them, how they held back fuel and medical supplies that could save innocent lives, and I can’t help but draw comparison. The message of holocaust survivors was clear: Never again. Never again doesn’t mean denying it when it happens again. Never again means Palestinians too.
And that comparison is flawed, because there is a fundamental difference between a systematic effort to murder a population and a careless disregard for collateral damage during military operations.
Both are shameful; only one is a genocide. If you broaden the meaning of genocide to refer to any war operation that fails to sufficiently protect civilians, you’ve suddenly labeled most of military history as genocidal.
The bombing of Dresden was horrific, but it was not comparable to the literal Holocaust happening at the same time.
I know that one time a holocaust survivor spoke of the thirst she felt during that time and how it was indescribable, and I think of all the missing Palestinians that had their bones crushed to rubble as they waited for hours to be rescued, and all those that didn’t survive. I think of how Israel dehumanized them and ethnically cleansed them, how they held back fuel and medical supplies that could save innocent lives, and I can’t help but draw comparison. The message of holocaust survivors was clear: Never again. Never again doesn’t mean denying it when it happens again. Never again means Palestinians too.
And that comparison is flawed, because there is a fundamental difference between a systematic effort to murder a population and a careless disregard for collateral damage during military operations.
Both are shameful; only one is a genocide. If you broaden the meaning of genocide to refer to any war operation that fails to sufficiently protect civilians, you’ve suddenly labeled most of military history as genocidal.
The bombing of Dresden was horrific, but it was not comparable to the literal Holocaust happening at the same time.