Comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany

Comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany occur frequently in the political discourse of anti-Zionism.^[1][2] Given the legacy of the Holocaust, the legitimacy of and intent behind these accusations are a matter of debate, particularly with regard to their potential nature as a manifestation of antisemitism. Historically, figures like British historian Arnold J. Toynbee have drawn parallels or alleged a relationship between Zionism and Nazism; British professor David Feldman suggests that these comparisons are often rhetorical tools without specific antisemitic intent. On the other hand, the Anti-Defamation League sees these comparisons as attempts at Holocaust trivialization.^[3][4]

According to American political scientist Ian Lustick, comparing the two countries is "a natural if unintended consequence of the immersion of Israeli Jews in Holocaust imagery."^[5] A wide variety of political figures and governments, especially those on the left, have often invoked these comparisons, with the most prominent and influential example being that of Soviet anti-Zionism, which took root in response to Israel's integration with the First World in the aftermath of the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.^[6] In the 21st century, politicians who have done so at least once include Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,^[7] Brazilian president Lula da Silva,^[8] Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez,^[9] and British parliamentarian David Ward.^[10] Critics of the comparison, such as French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, argue that such comparisons not only lack historical and moral equivalence, but also risk inciting anti-Jewish sentiment. American historian Deborah Lipstadt calls these types of comparisons "soft-core" Holocaust denial.^[11]