זו הייתה שואה

The article focuses on the prevalent analogy in Israeli public discourse between the events of October 7 and the Holocaust. This analogical affinity has many faces. In part, it expresses the horror, surprise and helplessness of the victims of the Hamas attack, and of all Israelis. But in part it constructs Israelis as helpless victims of absolute evil, and Hamas – and all Palestinians - as Nazis. This analogy encapsulates a fundamental blurring of the temporal dimension in which the distinction between the past (the Holocaust) and the present (October 7) is critical. This blurring gives rise to another blurring - the one between civilians and combatants which is fundamental to the laws of war and invites war crimes. This analogic blurring is in line with current Jewish-Israeli political discourse that belies the linguistic-symbolic order, which is based on drawing distinctions and boundaries. Its violent consequences can be seen in the Israeli assault - which might even cross the threshold to genocide - on Gaza.