There seems to be a whole lot of confusion on this word “genocide”, and people using it in such a way that suggests maybe they don’t understand what it means.
Genocide is not defined based on number of deaths, or comparing one action against another. The fact that more people have died in Gaza since Oct 7 than died in Israel on Oct 7, does not make Israel’s actions a genocide.
The fact that non-militants have died in Gaza, does not make this war a genocide.
Let’s first discuss the elephant in the room – this concept of non-militant (aka “civilian”) vs. militant (aka “Hamas”). This difference of opinions between those who support Israel and those who do not, will likely never be agreed upon. During conflict, Hamas does not wear uniforms, in order to blend in. There are UNRWA employees, and people with PRESS vests who are members of Hamas, and people who participated in Oct 7 who may not be members of Hamas, but are still combatants. Some will say these are non-militants, so let’s just acknowledge that we’re not going to agree on this.
That makes determining the combatant to civilian casualty ratio extremely challenging.
But that’s not important either. We don’t know the actual number of deaths and we don’t know the actual number of civilians vs combatants and we don’t know the ratio or how it compares to other urban wars.
But even if that ratio is worse – that doesn’t define a genocide either.
The most important element – and most difficult to prove – when determining if something is a genocide, is the intent. To constitute genocide (and again, I quote the UN), “…there must be a proven intent on the part of perpetrators to physically destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. Cultural destruction does not suffice, not does an intention to simply disperse a group”.
As people are screaming genocide, I ask you – where is the intent?
Does a country that wants to wipe out a group of people, drop leaflets to warn them before strikes?
Does a country that wants to wipe out a group of people, stop a war in order to ensure polio vaccines can be safely and properly administered to the children of their enemy?
Does a country that wants to wipe out a group of people, send in aid to ensure they have what they need?
Does a country that wants to wipe out a group of people, say over and over again that the war will stop, as soon as the hostages that were taken from them are released, and the terrorist government surrenders?
The death of every innocent person is tragic, but that also does not make it a genocide.
There’s only one thing that makes what Israel is doing a genocide, and that’s the propaganda machine. On Oct 7, after they attacked Israel, people were out on the streets, both celebrating the Hamas massacre on Israel, and condemning Israel for – wait for it – “genocide”. There were signs accusing Israel of genocide before Israel even started a response to the attack from Gaza. Hamas and the Islamist propaganda machine, decided they were going to call Israel’s response a genocide before they even attacked Israel in the first place.
The only genocide that’s occurring right now, is the one Hamas begun on Oct 7, 2023, and the one that the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Regime, and the woke left are all perpetuating – and that’s the genocide of Israel and the Jewish people.
Every single call of “Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea” and “Globalize the Intifada” is a call to wipe out Israel, and to commit genocide against Jews.
Wake up world – as you cry out against Israel and Zionists and Jews for a genocide that isn’t happening, you’re supporting and enabling an actual genocide that the Islamic Regime is hellbent on carrying out.
It’s time for the world to open their eyes, and see what’s actually happening.
Before even more innocent lives are lost.