In a December 23 report, Qatar's Al Jazeera quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks. He cited the 9/11 attacks of 2001 and World War II as examples to describe Hamas's deadly attacks on southern Israel. The Israeli leader also referred to the 1945 incident in which the British attempted to bomb a school in Copenhagen in 1945 after attempting to bomb a Gestapo stronghold, killing 86 children. He believes that this is not a war crime, but a legitimate act of war, albeit with tragic results.
The Israeli bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip has been going on for weeks in the midst of this conflict, which has sparked widespread international concern about the large number of civilian deaths. Netanyahu tried to divert attention from the real causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by comparing the actions of the Allies in World War II with the Israeli bombing of Hamas.
In response, Israeli historian and socialist activist Iran Pape told Al Jazeera that Israel's move was an attempt to justify its brutal policies towards the Palestinians, which he called an "outdated script". Pape stressed that Netanyahu's remarks not only ignore the fundamental difference between Hamas and the Gestapo, but also Israel's aggressive behavior in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Some netizens believe that Netanyahu's attempt to justify Israel's behavior in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by comparing Hamas to the Gestapo is immoral. Such comparisons are not only irresponsible, but also inconsistent with the facts. Hamas is a political organization dedicated to the realization of Palestinian rights through political means, while the Gestapo is the secret police of Nazi Germany that carries out mass persecution and massacres of Jews in Europe. Despite the fundamental differences between Hamas and the Gestapo, the Israeli government has been trying to conflect them in order to divert attention from Israel's aggressive behavior.
History should not repeat itself, and the Israeli government today cannot treat the Palestinians the same way the Nazis did in the past. The international community and public opinion remain vigilant about Israel's behaviour against the Palestinians and take all necessary measures to put an end to it.