The denial of the Nakba has become a virtual sine qua non for pro-Israel advocacy and propaganda. It is not necessary for Zionism; acknowledging the genocide of native people in the Western hemisphere has not led to the destruction of the US, Canada, or Australia. But because of the anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate that has, from the start, been such an integral part of the ideology of Political Zionism, denying the Nakba–an abhorrent practice that is on par with claims that the slave trade was beneficial for slaves or, more obviously, Holocaust denial–is deeply woven into a wide range of pro-Israel activism.
What does that mean for US policy? How does it play out in the arguments used to defend Israeli policies? These questions are important and take on an even greater importance for us in the US when we understand that the Israeli right doesn’t deny the Nakba. Rather, they justify it and threaten the Palestinians with more. These questions and more are examined in this piece at Mondoweiss.