Israeli Official Invokes World War Dresden Bombings to Defend Israeli Assault On Gaza
Israeli UK ambassador Tzipi Hotovely compared her country’s military operation on Gaza to the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War Two, saying it was the “only way” to beat Nazi Germany.
The three-day bombing attack stands as one of the most controversial Allied actions in the war. Intended to force Nazi Germany into surrender in the closing months of the conflict, more than 800 bombers levelled the city and killed tens of thousands.
The ambassadors statement came in the middle of a heated interview with Sky News’ Kay Burley, who had asked the ambassador about the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which Hotovely denied there was.
Defending the ferocity of the Israeli bombardment and the complete siege: “When you’re taking babies, cutting them and tying them together and burning them to death, you’re treating them less than an animal. Just as the Nazis treated Jews.”
While Burley pointedly questioned the involvement of Gazan civilians in the attacks, Hotovely firmly placed the blame on Hamas, stating that they are also accountable for any collateral damage.
The ambassador continued by claiming that the Israelis had offered safe refuge to those in Gaza, and went on to compare the situation to other global contexts, notably mentioning the battle against ISIS in Mosul where a significant number of civilians were killed.
Drawing a historical parallel, Hotovely evoked Dresden: “I don’t want to go back to your history by targeting German cities. Dresden was a symbol of that because you knew that this is the only way to beat the Nazis and make them surrender. This is the reality that Israel is facing a cruel, cruel, barbaric terror organisation.”
Making a broader point, she equated Hamas with global terror organisations like Al-Qaeda and ISIS and mentioned the global efforts to combat them.
On Friday former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett drew the same comparison in an angry engagement with Sky News journalist Kamali Melbourne. “We’re fighting Nazis,” he reasoned.
