A new holocaust. Kristallnacht. That, they say, is what the large mobilizations against Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip betoken. With the best will in the world, when Israel’s mandarins and apologists invoke the Holocaust’s legacy in this way, it is difficult not to respond with a world-weary sigh.

Who dares to bomb a packed refugee center, incinerating, shredding, and crushing the humanity crammed within, and then betray the Holocaust’s memory for cheap propaganda? Who else but Israeli politicians, for that matter, would actually threaten genocide on another people, and then say that it is their critics who are bristling with genocidal intent?

This time, however, they think they have a stronger case. They refer, it seems, to recent protests where, particularly in France, it is reported that pro-Palestine marches have degenerated into antisemitic slogans and violence. As such, just as IDF troops murder West Bank protesters, now Israel demands “strict regulations” on the format and content of future demonstrations in Europe.