By Shadow Pine
In the shadow of the Holocaust, where six million Jews were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany in the 1940s, the world vowed “Never Again.” Yet, less than 80 years later, Israel, a state born from the ashes of that genocide as a refuge for Jewish survivors, stands accused of perpetrating its own acts of mass murder and genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
This “full circle” narrative, paints a heartbreaking irony: a people once victimized by dehumanization, displacement, and extermination now face allegations of inflicting similar horrors on another Semitic group.
Drawing on historical trauma, racial identities, emotional displacements, and linguistic biases, this article argues that unresolved wounds from the Holocaust have fueled a cycle of violence, turning victims into perpetrators.
With over 60,000 Palestinian deaths reported amid famine and destruction, the evidence demands reflection: How did a nation forged in survival become entangled in accusations of murder on a genocidal scale?
The Holocaust’s Legacy: From Victimhood to Statehood
The Holocaust (1941-1945) was an unparalleled atrocity, where white European perpetrators, led by Nazi Germany, dehumanized Jews as subhuman vermin, confining them in ghettos, starving them, and exterminating them in death camps. This genocide, rooted in racial pseudoscience, left survivors with intergenerational trauma, emphasizing self-defense and the prevention of future annihilation.
In 1948, Israel’s establishment as a Jewish homeland was framed as a direct response, providing security amid Arab opposition and the Nakba, the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians.
Yet, critics argue this foundation sowed seeds for inversion. Holocaust scholar Omer Bartov, in a July 2025 New York Times op-ed, describes Israel’s Gaza operations as meeting genocide criteria: intentional killings, serious harm, and conditions calculated to destroy a group.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, in a July 2025 report, labels Israel’s actions a “forever-occupation” driven by genocide and profit, demanding global intervention to halt the “genocide” in Gaza. Amnesty International’s July 2025 analysis points to Israel’s use of starvation as evidence of genocide, with restrictions on aid inflicting famine on Palestinians, echoing Nazi sieges.
Public sentiment amplifies this: “Zionist Jewish Israel has come a full circle. Gaza genocide and holocaust have opened up the eyes of the world,” one user posted in September 2024. Another lamented in May 2024: “Unbelievable that Israel came full circle in 75 years from holocaustee to holocauster.” These voices underscore a perceived moral reversal, where Israel’s military campaigns, resulting in strikes killing children and razing neighborhoods, mirror the collective punishment once endured by Jews.
The Emotional Toll: Misplaced Revenge and Racial Hierarchies
Emotionally, this full circle evokes profound grief and betrayal. Holocaust trauma, unhealed and weaponized, appears displaced onto Palestinians, brown Middle Eastern Semites like Jews themselves, rather than the white German perpetrators who escaped retribution due to Western Cold War alliances. Germany’s reparations (over $80 billion to Israel) rebuilt it as an ally, while Palestinians, uninvolved in Nazi’s European antisemitism, bear the brunt.
This “misplaced revenge” narrative suggests that Western protection of “white” Europe shielded Germans, allowing Israel’s empowered state to vent historical rage on a vulnerable “brown” group.
Yet, a deeper truth emerges: Jews and Palestinians are alike as “brown” Semitic peoples, sharing ancient Levantine roots. Genetic studies reveal over 70% of Jewish and Arab men inherit Y-chromosomes from common ancestors, with minimal differentiation. Ashkenazi Jews, often perceived as “white” due to European admixture, retain Middle Eastern markers, aligning them with Palestinians’ indigenous “brown” identity.
Race, a social construct, has artificially divided these kin: Colonial Orientalism lumped Semites as “other,” but postwar assimilation “whitened” some Jews for privilege, perpetuating hierarchies where Palestinian lives are devalued.
This racial lens intensifies the tragedy. We’ve come full circle where the Israel Jews are now the new Nazis & want the complete genocide new Holocaust of an entire population. The heartbreak lies in seeing shared “brown” brothers turned against each other, with Israel’s actions, bombings, blockades, and rhetoric calling Palestinians “human animals”, evoking Nazi dehumanization of Jews.
Linguistic Bias: Antisemitism vs. the Erasure of Anti-Palestinian Crimes
Compounding this cycle is a misplaced terminology that elevates crimes against Jews as “antisemitic” while labeling harms against Palestinians as vague “racism” or “Islamophobia.” Antisemitism, with its historical weight from the Holocaust, triggers swift condemnation and legal action.
Yet, anti-Palestinian racism, dehumanization, erasure of identity, and violence, lacks a unified term, diluting its recognition. Media double standards abound: Criticism of Israel risks antisemitism accusations, but anti-Palestinian rhetoric, like portraying Gaza as a “terrorist nest,” goes unchallenged.
This disparity misplaces empathy, implying Jewish suffering is exceptional while Palestinian deaths, now exceeding 2% of Gaza’s population, are normalized. As a Boston University report from 2025 notes, Israel’s actions plausibly violate the Genocide Convention, yet global responses lag. The International Court of Justice’s ongoing case (South Africa vs. Israel) highlights “plausible genocide,” but without final rulings as of July 2025, the linguistic gap perpetuates injustice.
Breaking the Cycle: A Call for Shared Humanity
Israel’s full circle from Holocaust victims to alleged perpetrators of murder in Gaza is a cautionary tale of trauma’s dark spiral. With UN experts decrying profit-driven genocide and people’s tribunals finding Israel guilty, the evidence is damning. Yet, recognizing Jews and Palestinians as alike “brown” Semites offers hope: Genetic and cultural bonds can bridge divides, fostering empathy over enmity.
To halt this tragedy, the world must demand accountability, ceasefires, aid, and equal condemnation of all hatreds. “Never Again” should mean for everyone, not a license for reversal. As Holocaust survivors once pleaded for justice, so too must we for Palestinians, breaking the circle before it consumes us.
Shadow Pine is an independent investigative journalist dedicated to uncovering hidden truths, especially in high-stakes and controversial matters. Operating discreetly to protect sources and maintain integrity, Shadow Pine focuses on stories that others might shy away from, aiming to bring clarity and accountability to the forefront for the well being of the nation.
The views expressed here are solely the author’s and not necessarily that of Weekly Echo’s.