What's Wrong With Comparing Israel to the Nazis?

In a recent thread, some of the HPers have been questioning the idea that comparing Israel to the Nazis is automatically anti-Semitic (as outlined in the EU definition of anti-Semitism), and crying censorship when their comparisons are criticized. I see their point, they are technically allowed to say whatever they want, even when their words are extremely hurtful. However, I also believe there is some genuine confusion about why certain comparisons to the Nazis are anti-Semitic.

The particular comparison we were talking about in the thread was the comparison of Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto, in which the Israelis are the Germans and the Palestinians are the Jews. We could talk about why this comparison is disingenuous, but it is certainly true that there are certain similarities between Gaza and the ghetto. However, accuracy in comparisons is not what makes Israeli-Nazi comparisons so hurtful.





There's a reason why the Nazis are pretty much universally hated around the world and there's such a thing as "Godwin's Law". That reason is that the Nazis committed genocide on a massive scale, systemically and cold-bloodedly exterminating people on a racial basis. When you compare someone to a Nazi, you are comparing them to a genocidal killer, that is the intention. You are (explicitly or implicitly) comparing their behavior to that of a genocidal killer's, making them to be similar to one of the worst groups of people in history.

Such comparisions, therefore, need to be made with care. Godwin's Law exists because making superfluous comparisons to the Nazis is a low debating tactic, but it also intentionally or unintentionally makes your opponent's argument far worse than it actually is (unless your opponent's argument is that genocide is a good idea). The Nazis have done lots of things that other people do all the time, from ridiculously mundane things like driving Volkswagens to morally questionable things like fighting in urban environments. But, in my opinion, comparing another group of people to the Nazis for any other reason besides crimes against humanity is a terrible idea, because it opens the floodgates to more and more tenuous comparisons:

Israel keeps the Gazans' blockaded, just like the Nazis did! The Palestinians have anti-Semitic newspapers and TV shows, just like the Nazis did! The United States invaded another country, just like the Nazis did! Great Britain uses bombers in war, just like the Nazis did!  President Obama was democratically elected, just like Hitler was!


After a while, you can compare pretty much anyone or anything to the Nazis, just having a more and more tenuous connection (John Kerry is white, just like the Nazis were!), but then the comparison becomes meaningless. That is why I am making an appeal: reserve Nazi comparisons for those who do what the Nazis are famous for: committing genocide on a massive scale. If you think Israel is committing genocide on a massive scale, that's your opinion and we can discuss/argue about it. But making Nazi comparisons for reasons other than that are misleading and dishonest.

Now, for comparing Israel in particular to the Nazis being anti-Semitic, this is just because the Nazis specifically targeted the Jews (among others). It's tantamount to telling a black person they are acting like a slave owner. Everyone does not want to be like a Nazi or a slave owner, but it hurts especially more when a Jew or a black person is called those things, because of the specific history (and oftentimes when people compare Israel to the Nazis, they know this and do it intentionally).

Now, I have a little bit of a problem that simply writing off all comparisons of Israel to the Nazis is anti-Semitic. If Israel was in fact committing genocide and marching the Palestinians into death camps, I would the first to state their behavior is similar if not identical to the Nazis. But any comparisons beyond that I'm willing to argue are, for the reasons outlined above.

Do you disagree with another of these points? Leave a comment below and we'll discuss it.