Do you see this image? This is a picture of a student shot dead by the National Guard at Kent State University in Ohio. I remember when this happened, and I can tell you it was a dark day in America. What were the students doing? They were protesting the war in Vietnam. It was largely because of these protests that the war was brought to an end.
Fast forward to today. We have protests all over America, indeed the world, of the war Israel is waging against the Palestinians. It is not antisemitic to protest the slaughter of thousands of innocent women and children and other noncombatants. This slaughter is inhumane and tantamount to genocide, regardless of what the U.S. Government is saying. It should be protested and attention must be paid!
We see police action and the National Guard being called up in some states to quell these protests. This must stop! We do not want another Kent State. I understand that we have to support our allies, and Israel is an ally, but this needless slaughter of the innocents must stop! It goes against American values, and it goes against my values. I stand with the protesting students.
A man gestures as Palestinians search for casualties a day after Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, November 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Al-Masri
Is Israel committing genocide? Well. let’s see. Let’s give it the duck test. Does it walk like a duck? Does it quack like a duck? South Africa seems to think so. They are taking Israel to an international tribunal to seek justice for the Palestinians.
But just ask Israel’s, prime minister. He says, Genocide? What genocide. Who are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?
22,000 Palestinians dead. Mostly innocent civilians. Mostly children. Forced migration, displacement, starvation, and no clean drinking water. Destruction of homes and hospitals.
Winking Blinken and Nod is doing everything he can to slow down the hostilities but because he represents the Disunited Mistakes, which is Israel’s biggest defender, there is little he can do.
Let’s review, then. What is genocide?
The current definition of Genocide is set out in Article II of the Genocide Convention:
Genocide means any of the following acts committed with the 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.
If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. If it’s not genocide it is certainly murder and the God of the Jews is pretty clear about how He feels about murder. Thou Shat Not Kill, He says. Oh, but Israel has a right to defend herself you say. Yes, but this goes way beyond self-defense.
What happened to Jews during the holocaust was a horrible tragic event of epic proportions. One of the worst cases of genocide in human history. Never Again! What happened on October 7 was a tragic horrible event and a crime against humanity. But those events do not give Israel carte blanche to destroy an entire population in retribution. You don’t use an elephant gun to kill a mosquito. You don’t use a meat cleaver when a scalpel is appropriate. In Vietnam, we used to have a saying, “We have to burn down the village to save the village.” It was an absurd notion then and an absurd notion now. Israel needs to bring this war to a conclusion and cease the hostilities at once. Those responsible for war crimes must be held accountable.
Hamas knew exactly what it was doing when it acted in such an ignominious way. They knew Israel would attack Gaza with furious vengeance. In doing so, it has turned the world’s opinion against Israel and has garnered sympathy for the Palestinian Cause. That is exactly what Hamas wanted. And Israel fell into their honey trap.
The crime of all crimes is genocide. If the 20th century was the age of genocide the 21st is not looking much better.
There has been a lot of talk lately about genocide and the word has been bandied about rather loosely. Mostly regarding the ongoing war in Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Because Hamas uses the civilian population as human shields innocent civilians are getting caught in the crossfire and bombardment by Israel.
The recent conflict began with an act of terror waged against innocent Israelis by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters who invaded a peaceful Kibbutz, killing some 1400 men, women, children, and babies, in the most inhumane ways imaginable. This act of terror was a war crime itself. The question is, is Israel’s response to the killing of 1400 Israelis by bombing and killing of large numbers of noncombatant Palestinians (17,700 as of this writing) many of them women and children, and the forced removal of thousands more, justified? Certainly, some type of response is justified. Israel has the right to defend herself. But shouldn’t it be proportional? And shouldn’t it be within the boundaries of the internationally recognized laws of war?
Let’s return to the question of genocide. What exactly is genocide? What is its legal definition?
Raphel Lempkin, a Polish Jew, invented the word “genocide” and secured the passage of the first-ever United Nations human rights treaty in 1948. It took the United States 19 years to ratify the treaty. According to the Convention, genocide is a crime that can take place both in time of war as well as in time of peace. The definition contained in Article II of the Convention describes genocide as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part. The Convention establishes a duty on State Parties to take measures to prevent and to punish the crime of genocide, including by enacting relevant legislation and punishing perpetrators, “whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.” (Article IV)
The current definition of Genocide is set out in Article II of the Genocide Convention:
Genocide means any of the following acts committed with the 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.
What is going on in Gaza?
Genocide is the actual reality of Palestinians living in Gaza. They are an entrapped, displaced, starved, water-deprived population of 2.3 million facing massive bombardments and carnage in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Over 17,000 people have already been killed as of this writing. Tens of thousands have been injured and over 45% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed. The United Nations Secretary-General said that Gaza is becoming a “graveyard for children.” A ceasefire remains elusive. Israel continues to blatantly violate international law: dropping white phosphorus from the sky, dispersing death in all directions, shedding blood, shelling neighborhoods striking schools, hospitals, and universities, bombing churches and mosques, wiping out families, and ethnically cleansing an entire region in both callous and systemic manner. What do you call this? I call them war crimes. Crimes against humanity and yes, I think this rises to the level of genocide.
The United States must use whatever influence it has to bring this atrocity to a halt. Israel has a right to defend herself, but she must do so within the bounds of international laws and norms. She must abide by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.
In 1979 President Jimmy Carter stated, “We must forge an unshakeable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world fail to act in time to prevent this terrible act of genocide.”
Antisemitism is on the rise in this country and around the world. I loathe bigotry of any sort, but antisemitism is particularly galling. How did we get to this place? The war between Israel and Hamas has a lot to do with it. Hamas knew exactly what it was doing when it struck on October 7. They knew Israel would unleash fury upon Gaza. As they use civilians as human shields, collateral damage is inevitable. The more carnage the more world opinion turns against Israel and sympathy rises for the Palestinians. This is exactly what Hamas wants and it is winning the propaganda war. I don’t like to see civilians killed in war, especially innocent children. It breaks my heart every time I see a small broken body being carried in a parent’s arms. There doesn’t seem to be any good solution, but I would like to see a cease-fire, the hostages released, and negotiations begin for a two-state solution. Big ask. I know Israel won’t stop until Hamas is obliterated. This is understandable as they face an existential threat, but they must do everything possible to limit civilian casualties and abide by the rules of war.
One more thing. Just because you criticize the state of Israel does not make you an anti-Semite. Every country in the world is subject to criticism. That is the very basis of free speech. It’s when that speech crosses over to hate speech is when we have a problem, and that speech could be interpreted as anti-Semitic. Let’s keep it clean. We should be able to discuss these issues without devolving into hate speech.
I unequivocally condemn Hamas’ brutality, and I am horrified by the bloodshed left in its wake, and deeply mourn the loss of innocent lives. The horror of these attacks beggars the imagination and can only be described as pure evil and acts of terrorism.
There is no moral equivalency between what Hamas did and what Israel is doing to defend herself. I completely support Israel’s right to defend herself, but she must do so in accordance with international law. I agree with the concerns expressed by international human rights organizations who are worried about civilian casualties in the war.
The U.S. and its allies have a moral obligation to uphold the laws of war and abide by the Geneva Conventions.
Palestinian civilians are not Hamas and had nothing to do with the shocking attacks. The United States must work to ensure innocent residents of Gaza are not indiscriminately punished for the actions of terrorists. The intentional attack on civilian populations is nothing less than a war crime.
Ghost Dog 