the word 'holocaust'

i haven't written in a while. i guess i've been too wrapped up in my masters program to bother to peek out into the world enough. i mean--don't get me wrong. i've peeked out--i've seen--i've been outraged, saddened, angered, etc.

but this really got me.

today on the front page of the guardian is a headline "Israeli Minister Warns of Palestinian "Holocaust"". and this is straight from the guardian:

"The more Qassam [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger shoah because we will use all our might to defend ourselves," Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defence minister, told Army Radio.

'shoah' is the hebrew word usually reserved for the Nazi extermination of the Jews.

these are serious claims.

surely the Labor Party in Israel will adjust this man's wording (i doubt it--Matan Vilnai has been a fellow at Harvard and Johns Hopkins... in case you were wondering... he 'aint just some fanatic) surely the people of Israel (who are wholly SPLIT on the issue) will stand up and say 'no Matan, we will fight back against militants--but we will not incite a holocaust on the Palestinian people'.

surely the whole world won't turn it's head as israel is allowed to voice whatever horrors it wants publicly. or is that what hitler was able to do?

israel has some of the worlds most technologically advanced military systems in the world. surely Matan meant he would bring on more force against the militants and bring an end to those people (which in and of itself is fucked up--but hey, i'm a radical... don't listen to me). surely he didn't mean he would wipe out the palestinian race.

surely he didn't...

when the government of israel sees the whole of the palestinian people as militants, then statements like this are free to slipping out. when the government of israel wants to convince the people of israel to see the whole of the palestinian people as militants then statements like this are free to slip out.


yes, matan vilnai--you are correct--you are only repeating history.

but don't let me tell it to you... let hitler:

From "The Speeches of Adolph Hitler, April 1922 - August 1939," Norman H. Baynes (editor), London, 1942, volume 1, page 741, text taken from the authorized English translation published in pamphlet form, Berlin, in February 1939. Quoted in "Auschwitz and the Allies," by Martin Gilbert, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1981, page 13:

"...and we say that the war will not end as the Jews imagine it will, namely with the uprooting of the Aryans, but the result of this war will be the complete annihilation of the Jews.

hmmm... the uprooting of the aryans... complete annihilation...

this is a sad day. we are witnesses to the absurdity of history, of humanity. we are witnesses to the lack of evolution and the lack of thought and diplomacy.