Israel's Gaza Incursions: Challenges to Holocaust Legacies in National Identity

Description

The legacy of the Holocaust – constituting the core element of Israel’s national identity – has played a major role in mapping out the Jewish state’s functioning in the international arena since it was established in 1948. Recognizing Israelis’ traumatic experience of the Holocaust, the international community has since viewed the WWII mass murder of Jews as a worldwide point of reference and comparison for crimes against humanity. Major powers, such as U.S., have even gone beyond such benchmarking and have often supported Israel’s aggressive policies toward Palestinians in light of the Holocaust memory. Yet, Israel’s military actions in Gaza since 07 October 2023, particularly regarding civilian casualties, have been criticized internationally. To name but a few examples, U.S. has unprecedentedly mulled sanctions against some Israeli army units, the International Criminal Court prosecutor has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu, and some members of the European Parliament have referred to Israel as a “genocidal apartheid regime.” Israel’s Gaza invasion seems to have posed considerable challenges to Holocaust legacies of Israel’s national identity.

This study seeks to explain how Israel’s latest invasion of Gaza has undermined Israel’s national identity, which often draws on the Holocaust as a foundational event for the state’s existence and security. Using role theory, I argue that the Israeli military campaign, Operation Swords of Iron, undermines the legacies of the Holocaust in Israel’s national identity by raising ethical and legal concerns, damaging Israel’s international reputation, distorting historical narratives, and creating divisions within the Jewish community.

Period	7 Oct 2024 → 8 Oct 2024
Event title	The Middle East After the War on Gaza: Navigating the Impact of Regional Rivalries, the US Mid-East Policy, and the Future of Authoritarianism
Event type	Conference
Location	Melbourne, AustraliaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International