Last October, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was widely ridiculed for linking Palestinians to the Holocaust, suggesting the idea for the Final Solution came not from the Nazis themselves but from the Mufti of Jerusalem.
Those comments were the latest in the long-running campaign to demonise Palestinians in order to ensure Israel maintains the winning edge in the public relations battle. Because Israel is the far greater military power, as evidenced by the skewed casualties suffered by each side over the course of the conflict, maintaining public support is incumbent on convincing people that the Palestinians deserve everything Israel throws at them.
At the time, I wrote, 'It's not surprising then that he chooses to keep raising the stakes to try and cement Israel's place as the long-suffering victim. But ... where can Netanyahu possibly go from here?'
This week, I got my answer. In response to Israel's allegations that World Vision Gaza manager Mohammed El-Halabi had siphoned $50 million to Hamas (a claim that World Vision has questioned but which Netanyahu is already treating as fact), Netanyahu released a short video in which he, in apparent seriousness, claims that although 'some of you will not believe' it, he 'cares more about Palestinians than their leaders do'.
He is right about one thing — I don't believe him.
This is not least because what he is saying is nothing new. Israel's government has long been claiming that it only harms Palestinians because Palestinians force them to do it.
A famous quote attributed to 60s-era Prime Minister Golda Meir, and invariably included among her greatest (though disputed by at least one historian), goes, 'We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can't forgive them for making us kill their children.'
As well as making Israel sound remarkably like an abusive partner (Why did you have to go and make me hit you?) this is Dehumanisation 101. If there is one thing humans feel distinguish and mark us as human, it is love; especially love for our children. If Arabs don't care for their kids, if they lack this vital capacity, then this paves the way for justifying all manner of violence committed against them.
"It's like punching someone repeatedly in the face and then boasting about offering some ice."
Netanyahu has merely applied Meir's words to Palestinian leaders, casting all the population as children. Missing, of course, is the role Israel plays in the conflict. Netanyahu pats himself on the