You're overanalyzing it. It was a threat to sue for removal of the trees unless a menorrah was also displayed. In the minds of gentiles, that threat got the Christmas trees removed.
I doubt many of the gentiles would have opposed seeing a menorrah, but that's not the point. What sinks in is that a Jewish Rabbi got a SECULAR symbol of Christmas removed. If you don't think that has caused resentment, you're wrong.
And if you don't think gentile support of Israel is important, you're wrong again.
I believe Christians are in support of Israel not gentiles.
I'm not overanalyzing, you have it wrong.
To whatever there was a "threat", imo a tad overstated, the "threat" was to sue for the display of a Menorah. As is done in likely thousands of displays in the country. The trees (Holiday trees not Christmas trees per Sea-Tac, and they were their trees) were never an issue.
Gentile support for Israel, any support for Israel, that runs at the thought of the public display of a Menorah isn't support at all.
I suspect you've placed a bit too much confidence in the initial media portrayal of the "incident".
The resentment, if any, should be directed solely at this particular rabbi and at the capitulating Sea-Tec officials. Most American Jews don't give a whit about the abundance of Christmas displays (and lack of Hannukah displays) at airports or other public venues, so taking it out on the Jewish population as a whole is rather ludicrous.
The extremism of these anti-Christmas types is phenomenal. A Christmas tree is not even a religious symbol in the way that a Hannukiah (menorah) is. The menorah commemorates the Jewish God's miraculous provision of sanctified oil when the Temple was cleansed after Antiochus Epimanes (nee Epihanes) was given the boot. The Christmas tree commemorates hot chocolate and wooden drummer boys. Suing over Christmas trees is like demanding removal of Dreidles or Latkes from the airport.