That’s horrible, no ifs, ands, or buts. It’s objectively not genocide, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a horrific act. And you can’t even argue that Israel was targeting such high-ranking Hamas officials that it was worth the risk or whatever. These were not top guys. This strike never should’ve been launched.
According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, the area hit is a designated "safe zone".
This isn't the first time that Israel has hit a "safe zone" either.
Time to reconsider the "objectively not genocide" part.
That’s not genocide. A war crime? Quite possibly, but not genocide. Words have meaning.
Maybe you think that I looked up "genocide" in a dictionary and using the term willy-nilly.
That is not the case.
When I talking about "genocide", I am using the term as defined in the Genocide Convention.
And I am going by the definition established by the Genocide Convention as well. The difference is you’re using it in a wildly inaccurate manner. Whether you’re doing so deliberately or due to genuine ignorance is not for me to say, but by that definition, Israel’s actions are clearly not genocide. It isn’t even a close call.
We both know that the ICC bring charges against individuals not against countries, but it's not much of a stretch that the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant also applies to Israel.
Let's look at these charges.
- Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Statute;
- Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health contrary to article 8(2)(a)(iii), or cruel treatment as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
- Wilful killing contrary to article 8(2)(a)(i), or Murder as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
- Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime contrary to articles 8(2)(b)(i), or 8(2)(e)(i);
- Extermination and/or murder contrary to articles 7(1)(b) and 7(1)(a), including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity;
- Persecution as a crime against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(h);
- Other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(k).
Do they not sound a whole lot like genocide to you?
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its
physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
The only ones of those I think you could make a serious argument are occurring are starvation of civilians as a method of war as a war crime and deaths caused by such as a crime against humanity. What I have yet to see is compelling hard evidence that this is the result of a deliberate, willful policy sanctioned by Netanyahu and Gallant. I have not yet seen such evidence, but if such comes out (and again, I’m talking compelling, hard evidence not some rando on Twitter or at an NGO saying “there is a famine, this must be deliberate; looks like genocide to me!”) then this would be a very different conversation. If such evidence emerges then I will adjust my views accordingly and I think that’s perfectly reasonable.
Let look at what Netanyahu and Gallant themselves have said.
“you must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. And we do remember”
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu was referring to the genocide of the Amalekites at the hands of the Israelites.
IDF soldiers heard the message from Netanyahu loud and clear.
They were coming to Gaza to "wipe out the seed of Amalek" and there are no "uninvolved civilians".
https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1733116719668113618“[Israel is] imposing a complete siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”
- Defence Minister Yoav Gallant
This one is self-evident. Nothing was left for interpretation.
