Holocaust's use as political tool divides Israelis
Alongside a serious discourse in Israel on the Holocaust, there also exists a populist discourse that makes use of the Holocaust to the point of seeming contempt.
“Democratic governments made a critical mistake before World War II, and we are convinced … that they are making a grave mistake now too … Meanwhile, we will not flinch. We will continue to insist on the truth, and we will do everything we can to open the eyes that are shut.”
The above comments were made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the official ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 16. Even people unfamiliar with the jargon knew exactly what he meant.
Diligent web denizens distributed the full text on Facebook, with every reference to the Holocaust highlighted in red and every reference to Iran and other current, declared existential threats marked in yellow. Although the text in question was dedicated to Holocaust Remembrance Day, the picture that emerged was decidedly yellow.
The Israeli daily Haaretz rose to the challenge and similarly marked other Netanyahu’s speeches from 2013 to 2015. They found that with each year, the speech map has become increasingly yellow. In other words, less Holocaust and resurrection, more “the new Hitler.”
