WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Shawn compared Israeli actions to Nazi persecution of Jews.
- He said Israel’s conduct was equally or even more evil.
- Shawn argued Hitler tried to conceal Nazi crimes.
- The interviewer twice responded, “Right.”
Actor Wallace Shawn made a series of inflammatory claims about Israel during a recent interview, comparing Israeli actions toward Palestinians to the persecution of Jews by Nazi Germany and arguing that, in some respects, he considers Israel’s conduct even worse.
Shawn framed his argument around his belief that Israelis took territory and homes belonging to others. He then used that premise to make a direct comparison between Israel and the Nazis.
“I mean, the Israelis invaded somebody else's territory. They took people's homes, and they did many of the things that the Nazis did to the Jews, and they're doing now they're really doing,” Shawn said.
He escalated the comparison by arguing that Israeli actions represent evil on the same level as Nazi persecution.
“You can't be more evil than than what they're doing,” Shawn said. “They are doing evil that is just as great as what the what the Nazis did, and in some ways it's worse because they kind of boast about it.”
The interviewer responded, “Right.”
Shawn then continued with another comparison involving Adolf Hitler, arguing that Hitler at least attempted to conceal what his regime was doing.
“Hitler had the decency to try to keep it secret,” Shawn said.
FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest
The interviewer again replied, “Right.”
Shawn went on to expand on that claim, saying that Nazi crimes against Jews were conducted in secrecy while asserting that Israelis are more open about the actions he condemns.
“For some reason, for some reason, Hitler didn't want people to know he was doing these things to the Jews,” Shawn said. “It was a secret.”
He contrasted that with his characterization of Israel.
“The Israelis are almost proud of it and don't keep it a secret, and it's demonically evil,” Shawn said.
The exchange centered almost entirely on Shawn’s comparison between Israel and Nazi Germany. His remarks did not attempt to draw a limited historical analogy about a specific policy or incident. Instead, he repeatedly placed Israeli actions in the same moral category as Nazi persecution and then argued that Israel’s conduct could be considered worse because, in his view, it is more openly displayed.
The interviewer did not challenge the comparison during the portion of the exchange provided. Instead, the interviewer twice responded with “Right” as Shawn continued developing the argument.
Shawn’s comments also relied on his assertion that Israelis invaded territory belonging to others and took people’s homes. He presented those claims as the basis for his broader moral comparison.
“I mean, the Israelis invaded somebody else's territory. They took people's homes,” Shawn said.
From there, he moved directly into the Nazi analogy, saying Israelis had done “many of the things that the Nazis did to the Jews.”
Shawn’s most severe language came near the end of the exchange, when he described the conduct he was discussing as “demonically evil.”
“The Israelis are almost proud of it and don't keep it a secret, and it's demonically evil,” Shawn said.
WATCH:
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.