Is Israel Committing Genocide?
No, Israel is not committing genocide. It is targeting Hamas, the genocidal terrorist organization which routinely puts its own civilians in harm’s way. Hamas terrorists captured by Israel have testified that they specifically hide in hospitals, and build their tunnels under them because they know the IDF will not attack them. Furthermore, Hamas has made many attempts to prevent civilians from evacuating and has stolen crucial humanitarian aid sent by Israel and the International Community specifically meant for Palestinian civilians.
Unpacked: Is Israel Committing War Crimes in Gaza?
What is Genocide?
Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular national or ethnic group with the intent to destroy that national or ethnic group. It is not just any conflict with many casualties; the essence of genocide is in the intent behind the killing.
If a thousand civilians from a particular national group are killed by errant airstrikes or in the crossfire during a military operation, there is no act of genocide. But if a thousand civilians from a particular national group are deliberately targeted by roving bands of terrorists seeking to eradicate that national group, that likely amounts to genocide. Hamas’ antisemitic charter, and the statements of its leaders, evidence a genocidal intent.
The Truth About Israeli Occupation
“Occupation” refers to a situation in which a state forcibly takes territory belonging to another state.
Israel is not an “occupying power” in Judea, Samaria, or Gaza. When the State of Israel was born in 1948, Jordan and Egypt declared war and unlawfully captured those territories. No Palestinian state was ever created. In 1967, Israel took control of the territories during a defensive war. Because there never was a Palestinian state, and because the land belonged to neither Jordan nor Egypt, Israel is not an “occupying power” of any other state’s land.
Israel and much of the international community believe that the final status of the territories can only be settled with a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Despite numerous offers, Palestinian leadership has repeatedly rejected offers of statehood. Nonetheless, the Palestinian Authority has significant autonomy over Palestinian areas in Judea & Samaria. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and since 2007, it has been ruled by Hamas.
Did Israel’s Founders Have Genocidal Aspirations?
In May 1948, the modern state of Israel was established in the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Israel’s founders drafted the Declaration of Independence to guarantee rights for all future inhabitants:
“[The State of Israel] will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture…”
—Declaration of Independence, Provisional Government of Israel, May 14, 1948
The War of 1948 and the consequent refugee crisis did take place during the war, but was due to Arab leaders who sought the destruction of the Jewish state.
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This quote from Begin is frequently shared by anti-Israel groups.
But is it real?
“The Palestinians are beasts walking on two legs.”
-Menachem Begin
Prime Minister of Israel
(1974-1977; 1992-1995)
#APARTHEIDWEEKEXPOSED
This quote is distorted and taken out of context. The full speech is from Begin’s 1982 address to the Knesset. According to the minutes of the session, he was clearly referring to terrorists who attack Israelis.
“The children of Israel will happily go to school and joyfully return home, just like the children in Washington, in Moscow, and in Peking, in Paris and in Rome, in Oslo, in Stockholm, and in Copenhagen. The fate of… Jewish children has been different from all the children of the world throughout the generations. No more. We will defend our children. If the hand of any two-footed animal is raised against them, that hand will be cut off, and our children will grow up in joy in the homes of their parents.”
This quote from Ben-Gurion is frequently shared by anti-Israel groups. But is it real?
“We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation, and the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab population.”
-David Ben-Gurion, First
Prime Minister of Israel
#APARTHEIDWEEKEXPOSED
In reality, there is no evidence that David Ben-Gurion said these words. The quote is fabricated, and sources usually listed do not contain this quote.
To learn more about this claim, read the following article by former CAMERA Researcher Dexter van Zile on camera.org:
Alex Awad Agrees to Remove Fake Ben Gurion Quote from DVD
Rev. Alex Awad agreed to remove a quote falsely attributed to Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion from a DVD of his presentation “A Palestinian Perspective on the Arab-Israeli Conflict.” One of the more egregious problems of his presentation is his use of a quote falsely attributed to Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion.
