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ysabetwordsmithIsrael’s war conduct in Gaza ‘consistent with the characteristics of genocide,’ UN Special Committee finds
“Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population,” the UN committee said in a press release.
“The Israeli military’s use of AI-assisted targeting, with minimal human oversight, combined with heavy bombs, underscores Israel’s disregard of its obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and take adequate safeguards to prevent civilian deaths,” the committee said.
Meanwhile, the back article in Time Nov. 11 features Jewish genocide scholar Deborah Lipstadt claiming that "You can say the suffering is immense and without a seeming end. But that's not a genocide."
I wonder what she's waiting for. I mean, Israel has already built a Wall to oppress people, committed massacres, and is doing its level best to wipe out both Palestine and Palestinians.
It's bad enough when ordinary people or leaders say it's not genocide, but when a genocide scholar tells people that it isn't, that is fraud under color of authority. It damages people's ability to identify atrocities accurately.
So let's check:
The legal term “genocide” refers to certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Genocide is an international crime, according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948). The acts that constitute genocide fall into five categories:
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, in whole or in part
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
I wouldn't call that a complete list -- it leaves out things like banning their language, religion, or other means of cultural transmission so that they cease to exist as a society -- but it's more than enough to qualify Israel bombing Palestine to gravel. The first three conditions apply widely.
Plus of course statements of intent from the Israeli government.
Fighting “human animals.” Making Gaza a “slaughterhouse.” “Erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.”
Such inflammatory rhetoric is a key component of South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the U.N. world court, a charge that Israel denies. South Africa says the language — in comments by Israeli leaders, soldiers and entertainers about Palestinians in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack sparked war — is proof of Israel’s intent to commit genocide.
"Human animals" ... doesn't that sound familiar? Ah yes, a standard tactic of genocide:
The comparison of victims to vermin is a common one for the perpetrators of genocide. The Nazis compared Jews to rats and serpents, with numerous cartoons showing these animals with exaggerated ‘Jewish’ features.
And from the same article, here's another expression of the plan:
Announcing a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza two days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, the latter’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, was straightforward about his view of Palestinians. “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything will be closed. We are fighting against human animals and will act accordingly.”
Well, if you cut off all the survival needs, that kills everyone in the affected area, which constitutes genocide. Or at least that's what the Jews said when they got shut in ghettos and Germans cut off survival needs.
Israel's trauma is talking out its mouth, and now that is everyone's problem.
Take Action
Actions you can take in light of the unfolding genocide in Gaza
Prevention of Genocide
Genocide Watch and donate here
World Without Genocide (donation button on main page)
“Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population,” the UN committee said in a press release.
“The Israeli military’s use of AI-assisted targeting, with minimal human oversight, combined with heavy bombs, underscores Israel’s disregard of its obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and take adequate safeguards to prevent civilian deaths,” the committee said.
Meanwhile, the back article in Time Nov. 11 features Jewish genocide scholar Deborah Lipstadt claiming that "You can say the suffering is immense and without a seeming end. But that's not a genocide."
I wonder what she's waiting for. I mean, Israel has already built a Wall to oppress people, committed massacres, and is doing its level best to wipe out both Palestine and Palestinians.
It's bad enough when ordinary people or leaders say it's not genocide, but when a genocide scholar tells people that it isn't, that is fraud under color of authority. It damages people's ability to identify atrocities accurately.
So let's check:
The legal term “genocide” refers to certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Genocide is an international crime, according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948). The acts that constitute genocide fall into five categories:
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, in whole or in part
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
I wouldn't call that a complete list -- it leaves out things like banning their language, religion, or other means of cultural transmission so that they cease to exist as a society -- but it's more than enough to qualify Israel bombing Palestine to gravel. The first three conditions apply widely.
Plus of course statements of intent from the Israeli government.
Fighting “human animals.” Making Gaza a “slaughterhouse.” “Erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.”
Such inflammatory rhetoric is a key component of South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the U.N. world court, a charge that Israel denies. South Africa says the language — in comments by Israeli leaders, soldiers and entertainers about Palestinians in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack sparked war — is proof of Israel’s intent to commit genocide.
"Human animals" ... doesn't that sound familiar? Ah yes, a standard tactic of genocide:
The comparison of victims to vermin is a common one for the perpetrators of genocide. The Nazis compared Jews to rats and serpents, with numerous cartoons showing these animals with exaggerated ‘Jewish’ features.
And from the same article, here's another expression of the plan:
Announcing a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza two days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, the latter’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, was straightforward about his view of Palestinians. “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything will be closed. We are fighting against human animals and will act accordingly.”
Well, if you cut off all the survival needs, that kills everyone in the affected area, which constitutes genocide. Or at least that's what the Jews said when they got shut in ghettos and Germans cut off survival needs.
Israel's trauma is talking out its mouth, and now that is everyone's problem.
Take Action
Actions you can take in light of the unfolding genocide in Gaza
Prevention of Genocide
Genocide Watch and donate here
World Without Genocide (donation button on main page)
(no subject)
Date: 2024-11-18 12:29 am (UTC)I do not place much trust in the United Nations — for one thing, UNRWA was in bed with Hamas. Israel isn’t perfect, but the IDF has tried to minimize civilian casualties among the Palestinians, and in at least some cases, lived up to its standard of “purity of arms”; in other cases, perhaps not.
Palestinian babies and other innocent civilians have my sympathy, but let us remember that it is not a war crime,and is not genocide,to kill civilians while waging war. It is a war crime to deliberately target and kill civilians when not seeking to achieve a military objective — which perfectly describe October 7. Hamas could have spared its people by surrendering and freeing its hostages, but has chosen not to do so. German and Japanese civilians killed or mutilated by Allied bombing in World War Two also have my retroactive sympathy, at least the ones who were not adults gung-ho for Hitler, but in an important sense, their suffering was the responsibility of Hitler and the Japanese militarists. Similarly, I consider Hamas culpable for the suffering of the Gazans. Israel was willing to live in peace with Gaza, even a Gaza ruled by Hamas, but Hamas chose otherwise.