Holokost ve Anti-Semitizm Gölgesinde Yerleşimci Kolonyalizmi Unutturmak: İsrail’in Tarih Anlatısı ve Tanıkların Suskunluğu
Silencing Settler Colonialism under the Shadow of the Holocaust and Antisemitism: Israel’s Historical Narrative and the Silence of Witnesses

Summary/Abstract: This study seeks to address the question of why Israel, despite exhibiting all the defining characteristics of settler colonialism, is not widely recognized as a settler-colonial state. The Israeli case aligns closely with the core features identified in the settler colonialism literature, including the control and displacement of Indigenous populations, the seizure of land, and the imposition of labor structures. Moreover, Zionist leaders’ narratives reveal a conscious alignment with the colonial strategies employed by Western powers, particularly during the formation of the Israeli state and in its aftermath, policies targeting land, labor, and population control position Israel as a paradigmatic example of contemporary settler colonialism. However, this study argues that Israel’s colonial structure is rendered mainly invisible due to the discursive dominance of the Holocaust narrative, which is framed exclusively around Jewish victimhood. Israeli history is thus predominantly interpreted through the lens of nation-building and nationalism rather than colonialism. The academic literature’s focus on Israel as a nation-state project obscures its foundational colonial dimensions. Furthermore, the hegemonic role of the Holocaust in public and academic discourse silences critiques of Israeli settler colonialism by equating such analyses with Anti-Semitism, thereby removing them from legitimate scholarly inquiry.

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