Genocide is often referred to as the “crime of crimes,” a term coined after the Holocaust of the Jews in Nazi Germany during World War II, and is limited to a very specific form of mass slaughter that deserves the highest condemnation.

With this definition, Nicole Naria, a political and social affairs correspondent for the American website Vox, began her report, asking whether this definition necessarily applies to Israel.

She said that Israel, which “has descendants of many Holocaust survivors living among its borders,” should not have committed such a crime, and now it is being accused by human rights groups, academics and even South Africa of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Not new accusations

She added that these accusations are not new, as they spread widely shortly after Israel responded to the Al-Aqsa flood, which was launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7, 2023.

She continued that the question that arises after a year is whether the evidence supporting these allegations has increased.

In the context of her answer, Naria mentioned that she and her colleague Sigal Samuel had conducted - in October of last year - interviews with researchers to examine and study the "allegations" of genocide, noting that some of them were at that time ready to describe what was happening in Gaza "categorically" as genocide.

But most of them were hesitant, arguing that proving genocide requires meeting high standards under international law. Several of them said that terms such as “crimes against humanity” or “war crimes,” which are equally important under international law, were likely committed, but they refrained from making a judgment about genocide in Gaza.

It is genocide

According to the American website, the debate has evolved since that interview, with the situation in Gaza deteriorating and being reduced to rubble, and the number of Palestinian martyrs now rising to more than 40,000.

The correspondent explained that a report by the International Refugee Organization published in September revealed evidence of “a severe hunger crisis in Gaza, and indications of famine-like conditions in the northern areas during the first half of 2024,” partly due to Israel’s obstruction of aid deliveries to the besieged Strip.

In light of the recent developments resulting from the war’s extension to Lebanon after Israel “tightened its grip” on the occupied West Bank, the site’s correspondent said that she had returned to those researchers to see if their previous views on genocide in Gaza had changed.

She replied that of the five researchers, most of them are now convinced that the crimes committed in the Strip meet the legal requirements to be described as genocide.

According to the Fox report, if an official ruling on genocide is issued by the International Court of Justice, this could have dire legal and political consequences.

Definition of genocide

There are different ways to define the concept of genocide, but the International Court of Justice is only concerned with its legal definition under the Genocide Convention, the international treaty that criminalizes this practice that entered It came into force in 1951 and has been ratified by 153 countries, including Israel and its closest ally, the United States.

Under the Genocide Convention, genocide is defined as “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, racial or religious group.”

Based on this definition, Raz Segal, a professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University in New Jersey, said, “I fully support the characterization of the Israeli attack on Gaza as a textbook example of genocide.”

I no longer have any hesitation

“Any early hesitation I had about the Israeli attack on Gaza being a genocide has been dispelled over the past year of human carnage and the obliteration of homes, infrastructure and communities,” said Adam Jones, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia.

Ernesto Verdeja, a professor of political science and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame, followed suit, describing the Israeli military’s actions as genocide.

The site's correspondent pointed out that the main turning point in the views of Verdeja and many other human rights experts was the Israeli ground invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip last May.

Action must be taken immediately

She concluded that it is not clear how the International Court of Justice will issue its ruling. Even if the court does not issue a ruling of genocide, that does not prevent the international community from taking action to stop what is happening in Gaza.

Segal, a professor at Stockton University, said: "I do not think we should sit idly by and wait for these institutions to tell us yes or no to genocide when we all see genocide before our eyes."

He stressed that "the process of radical change in the system has already begun, and that Israel has become very isolated today in the world, as well as the United States."

Source: American Press + Fox + Al Jazeera.net