THE International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) added its support on Monday to a growing list of international legal experts and others who say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
In a resolution passed on Aug 31, it made it clear that what Israel has been doing in Gaza since October 7, 2023, fits the legal definition of genocide.
Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 1948 defines the crime genocide as any acts “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”. Targeting children — 50,000 have been killed thus far — and preventing births surely qualify. All this has been live-streamed daily by journalists.
The IAGS is no ordinary organisation. It is the world’s leading grouping of genocide scholars, from throughout the world, including those studying the Holocaust experts. scholars. It does not reach such determination easily. This is only the third such determination since the organisation was established in 1994.
The IAGS’ resolution is not only directed at Israel, but also the international community, especially the state parties to international treaties, including the 1948 Genocide Convention.
It called on Israel’s government “to immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza, including deliberate attacks against and killing of civilians including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel and other items essential to the survival of the population; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement of the population”.
IAGS also wants Tel Aviv “to comply with the provisional measures and orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)”.
Last year, In 2024, the ICJ, having determined that Israel was committing plausible genocide in Gaza, ruled that its Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, was illegal and it should cease. such occupation.
It also ordered Israel’s allies to stop supplying weapons to Tel Aviv, warning them that such assistance may amount to being complicit in the plausible genocide.
The grouping of international genocide experts also reminded state parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) of their obligations to cooperate with the court and surrender any individual subject to an arrest warrant.
All states, the resolution says, must actively pursue policies to ensure respect for their obligations under international law, including under the Genocide Convention, the Arms Trade Treaty and international humanitarian law, with regard to Israel and Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has an arrest warrant issued against him by the ICC for alleged war crimes, has denied that Israel is committing genocide. So does the United States.
But a growing number of Jewish scholars, NGOs non-governmental organisations and former Israeli leaders say otherwise. Interestingly, half of American registered voters say Israel is committing genocide, according to a Quinnipiac University poll published on Aug 26.
Other polls conducted in the same month point to an increasing percentage of Americans labelling Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide. Clearly, there is a build-up of anger against Israel and the international community for not ending the genocide.
But anger alone isn’t enough. Holding Netanyahu, his genocidal ministers and allies who supply them with weapons accountable is the solution.
Sadly, the West’s moral wickedness stands in the way of such a solution.
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