In his column in Haaretz, Israeli journalist Gideon Levy compared the denial of the Holocaust during World War II by the Nazis to Israel's continued denial of the starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, arguing that the denial in both cases stems from a common root: disavowal of the crime and contempt for the victim.
Levy spoke about the Holocaust, pointing out that its deniers either claimed that it never happened, or that it happened but the number of victims was small, or that there were no gas chambers at all.
He believes that the organized attempts taking place today to deny the famine in Gaza are not merely a denial of a globally documented fact, but rather a normalization of a propaganda discourse based on lies, skepticism, and institutional impudence.
From newspapers to television stations, from academics to newsagents, there is a full-fledged Israeli chorus insisting that the comical images of the children are staged, and that their deaths are not from "deliberate starvation," but rather "a problem that Hamas bears," according to the article.
moral blindness
Levy pointed out that while scenes of starvation in the Gaza Strip are broadcast on television screens around the world, Israel persists in its moral blindness, claiming that 80 trucks enter Gaza daily and that there is a video showing "Hamas terrorists eating bananas in tunnels."
The writer hinted that the photos in question were taken six months ago, but the Israeli army spokesman, whom he describes as a "master peddler of lies," is now republishing them.
He said that such denial has become legitimate in Israel, and is even consistent with the local political tact that claims that hunger does not exist, and that no one will be convicted or punished for causing it.
dominant pattern
He added that this denial has become a prevalent pattern in all aspects of life inside Israel, with descriptions of the deliberate starvation of Gaza now being labeled an "anti-Semitic conspiracy," and "If there is hunger? Ask Hamas."
He explained that there are 50 faces of Israeli denial, all of them equally contemptible, ranging from turning a blind eye, to raising eyebrows, to camouflage, concealment, and self-deception.
Gideon Levy: Images of famine flood screens and newspapers around the world, yet Israelis deny it.
denial
Levy went on to say that for years he had been convinced that even if the Israelis were presented with all the horrific evidence, they would reject it. "And now here is the proof: Images of starvation flood screens and newspapers around the world, yet the Israelis deny it."
Levy warns that the most dangerous aspect of this denial is not only the lying, but also the cruel mockery of living victims and the denial of pain at the moment of its occurrence.
He continued that this approach is not new, but rather extends from the narrative of the Nakba, which "did not happen" according to the official narrative, to the decades of occupation and the apartheid system to which Israel claims it is not a party.
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Gideon Levy: Denying the starvation of Gaza is no less despicable than denying the Holocaust.