American-Jewish scholar says Israel has launched `genocidal campaign of extermination' in Gaza | MEMO - 22 Feb 2024 |

Trachtenberg emphasised that one of the main reasons behind Israel's genocidal attacks on Palestinians is its "Zionist ideology".

He said Israelis believe the Palestinian Territories they occupy as the property and eternal homeland of the Jewish people.

"All other people who are present in that Territory, who aren't Jewish, are seen as, therefore, enemies of that vision."

"So, these moments of crisis are really just attempts to further cleanse the land of Palestinians. And unlike what we saw in 1948, with the Nakba, and what we saw in 1967, with the expansion of Israel, into these Territories, what we're seeing now is they're embarking upon a genocidal campaign to destroy the Palestinian people in its entirety, especially those in Gaza at the moment," he said.

Israel's approach since 1948 has
not made Jews safer in the world

Trachtenberg pointed out that Israel ignored the International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders to prevent genocide in Gaza and that thousands of people lost their lives after that decision last month. He noted that Israeli officials continuing attacks against Palestinians believe they should act alone in the world and they consider everyone their enemies.

He stated that Israel believes international rules do not apply to Tel Aviv.
"Unfortunately, what that ignores is that anti-Semitism historically has not existed in a vacuum. But it's actually intertwined with other forms of hatred and bigotry," he said.

As an American-Jewish scholar who closely studies Jewish history, Trachtenberg suggested that Jews acknowledge that the oppression they have faced in history is intertwined with the oppression experienced by other peoples and that forming solidarity with others can make the world safer for everyone.