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Actor and playwright Wallace Shawn, known for his roles in The Princess Bride, Clueless, and Gossip Girl, likened Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany during the Holocaust in an appearance on the Katie Halper Show,

Shawn, who is Jewish, stated that Israel is “doing evil that is just as great as what the Nazis did.” He contended that, in some ways, it’s worse because “they kind of boast about it.”

“Hitler had the decency to try to keep it secret. For some reason, Hitler didn’t want people to know he was doing these things to the Jews. The Israelis are almost proud of it, and it’s demonically evil,” he said.

Shawn has previously criticised Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in a 2014 op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter. In it, he wrote, “The anger of the Palestinians cannot be ended by killing their children.” Shawn is also a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace and serves on its advisory board.

The comparison of Israel’s actions to those of Nazi Germany is a topic of intense debate. Some scholars argue that such analogies lack historical and moral equivalence and risk inciting anti-Jewish sentiment. This form of comparison has been described as “Holocaust inversion,” which some view as a subtle form of Holocaust denial.

However, Shawn doubled down on his take to remind critics, “The whole world knows that they are starving people, preventing children from getting aid on purpose, and bombing hospitals” — referring to Israel’s widely condemned blocking of humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, and multiple incidents of attacking hospitals.

Shawn also suggested that some Israelis who support current military actions might one day reconsider their stance. “I suspect that some Israelis who today support what their country is doing in Gaza or the West Bank will stand up in 10 years and ask themselves, ‘How did I justify this?’”

As for those who don’t see anything wrong with what’s being done, Shawn said, “Anybody who doesn’t recognise that it’s evil, I can’t properly communicate with that person. I don’t know how… that might be temporary insanity.”