Benjamin, the Holocaust, and the question of Palestine

The connection between the Holocaust and the Nakba is inescapable, but it is also complex: witness the considerable eϸorts invested in trying to refute it. It is inescapable due to the deep connection between the Holocaust and Israel. Although some argue that the destruction of the Jews of Europe and the estab- lishment of the State of Israel are unrelated (a problematic claim in and of itself), the link between the Holocaust and Israel’s historical development is plain, particularly in Israel’s own justiϮcatory narratives. What is more, this link is constantly and profoundly present on multiple levels in Israeli society. The Holocaust cannot be separated from the State of Israel and is therefore inex- tricable from the question of Palestine, especially when it is used to reject the memory of the Nakba and any form of Palestinian resistance.