The Germans were and are part of the Western world. Nazism was a peculiarly Western cancer, born of Western philosophies and history. Germany, a nation state (although a late one) with centuries of history towards modernity, was able to reason rationally about the pro and cons of territorial claims after decades, and chose what would keep it inside the European consensus (this does not mean that there are not those, on the German far right, who dream to cross the Oder again -- but the times of territorial disputes in Western Europe seem past). Also, Germany underwent several decades of intense but not violent pressure to change, accompanied by that incredibly brilliant policy that was the Marshall Plan. The problems that Germany has had after the reunification, namely the rise of a strong far-right, often neo-nazi opposition mostly from former East Germany Lander, highlights the difference that policies make.

The Palestinian Arabs, on the other hand, are a completely different matter. The very concept of nation states was mostly unknown to the Middle East until fairly recently. Most nation states there were created after WWI by the need of the victorious Allied Powers and the ensuing League of Nations to deal with recognisable state structures. The Turks were the only ones that had advanced to almost nation state (but not the whole Ottoman Empire), and in a measure Egypt. The rest, even Persia, was a number of territorial entities ruled by tribes almost constantly engaged in in-fighting, whose power rose and fell and determined the choices (and often the fate) of what kings, princes and overlords they had.

It is not a judgement of value, it is simply the acknowledgement of a system of government and a very idea of statehood, based on familial ties and clan ties, with no true concept of a super partes state entity (except religious structure), that is completely different from the one developed in the West with the Industrial Revolution.

In this context, it is difficult to see the state of things as a Palestinian failure to learn from history -- aside from the fact that the very concept of history is different in a worldview informed by religion to the extent that religious fundamentalist worldviews are. If the Palestinian people had not been swept into religious fundamentalism, if the secular element of Fatah had not been ruthlessly massacred by Hamas, perhaps that lesson would have been available for learning. As it is, it would have taken a miracle of those that rarely happen.

And mind, the governments of Israel bear no little responsibility in having hampered that process after the Oslo accords by caving in, mostly to remain in power, to the demands of that part of Zionism that wants the entirety of old Mandate Palestine to be part of Israel. All of us bear responsibility.

None of it is a justification for the deliberate massacre of civilians. Most of the world has seen the true face of Hamas, now, and we have seen the true face of those to the left that are drunk on postmodern nihilism. Hopefully we'll take notice and remember.