At the same time the Ayatollahs of Iran proclaim they want to nuke Israelis off the face of the earth. Both are declarations of intent of ethnic cleansing that Israelis take very seriously. Movements like BDS see no room for an Israeli state in any part of this land, and see nearly all current Israelis as invaders/settlers who should be sent out. So the holocaust is not just an ancient trauma; it is a trauma that resonates with the present and permeates everyday life for all Israelis. As a result, Israelis are deeply concerned about their safety. The holocaust is a living traumatic memory, it is not a tactical card that Israelis play.

The Holocaust was also directly linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During WW-II, while the Jewish residents of mandatory Palestine supported the British (and later enlisted in the British Army to form the Jewish Brigade and fight the Nazis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Brigade ), the leader of Palestinian Arabs, Haj Amin al-Husseini, the grand Mufti of Jerusalem, traveled to Germany and met with Adolf Hitler in an attempt to form an alliance (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-mufti-and-the-f-uuml-hrer) . A few months later, as the Nazi army was making large advances in the Caucasus (north of Israel/Palestine) and in Lybia & Egypt (south of Israel/Palestine), the British and the Jewish residents of Israel/Palestine were preparing to make a last stand against the expected Nazi invasion (and the anticipated Palestinian Arab assistance) by holding “The Fortress on Mt Carmel” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/200_days_of_dread ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Final_Fortress ). Though events soon a turn in favor of the allies, the attempted collaboration between the religious and national Palestinian leadership and the Nazis left an indelible impression on Israelis. Since Hamas is a fundamentalist Islamist movement that sees itself as continuing the tradition the grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hamas’ call for the elimination of the Jewish state resonates for Israelis as a call for modern day Holocaust.

In recent years there is a growing recognition in Israel of the trauma of the Nakba (when Palestinians fled their homes in 1948). Israelis gradually learn to feel the pain and empathize with the suffering experienced by Palestinians. However, even if serious mistakes were made, the Nakba was not an organized Israeli attempt to physically harm the Palestinian people, and hence it is not a genocide. The Nakba was a tragic event that is similar to the uprooting of tens of millions in the aftermath of WWII, including the Jews who were uprooted from their homes in Arab countries after the state of Israel was established.

Mentioning the rights of gays in Israel is not an attempt to pink-wash anything. Gay rights in Israel are just one example of Israel being an open liberal society, where sharp criticism of the government is held as a patriotic duty, where huge demonstrations bring down leaders, where the judicial system is robust and independent, and where women have served as political leaders from the inception of the country. As in all counties, Israel has social challenges, and it continues to strive for equality in opportunities and resources to all communities. Israeli embrace of gay rights is just one aspect of it being a liberal society. This is, of course, in sharp contrast to its neighbors, and particularly among Israel’s staunchest enemies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran (https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/AHRC46NGO95_030321.pdf http://www.outwordmagazine.com/inside-outword/glbt-news/1239-israel-and-arab-countries-are-miles-apart-on-lgbt-rights ).