Defining genocide: how a rift over Gaza sparked a crisis among scholars

New reports by human rights groups use the term to describe Israel’s offensive. The debate has fueled a brutal division among those who study mass violence

A pair of reports published this month by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch mark a significant contribution to the raging debate over how to characterize a war that has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians and decimated Gaza.

But the reports – the first found that Israel is committing genocide, the second acts of genocide – are unlikely to quell deep divisions in the academic field of Holocaust and genocide studies, whose scholars study mass violence.

Topics

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of acts of genocide in Gaza over water access

Yahoo News - 1d
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of acts of genocide in Gaza over water access

Israel rejects as a lie the rights group's claim that it is blocking access to water critical for survival.
BBC News - 1d
Israel accused of act of genocide over restriction of Gaza water supply

Human Rights Watch says Israeli forces have acted deliberately to cut availability of clean water. Israel’s restriction of Gaza’s water supply to levels below minimum needs amounts to an act of ...
The Guardian - 1d
Trudeau in peril after spat over Trump threat sparks crisis

Canada's PM faces pressure after losing a minister in row over how to respond to possible future tariffs from the US.
BBC News - 3d
Israel to close embassy in Dublin over ‘anti-Israel policies’ after Ireland’s backing of genocide petition – Middle East crisis live

Ireland last week announced support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel in International Court of Justice. For years, residents of Ghouta, an embattled opposition-held region on the ...
The Guardian - 5d
Baby reported among seven killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school; Jordan hosts Syria talks – Middle East crisis live

Jordan welcomes diplomats from US, EU, and Turkey and Arab nations to discuss the developing situation in Syria,. The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami says they won’t ...
The Guardian - 6d
Amnesty International Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza

Israel rejected the charge — the first of its kind by a major human rights organization — saying it was “based on lies.”
The New York Times - Dec. 5
Amnesty: Israel committing genocide in Gaza

Human rights group Amnesty International accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza amid its ongoing war against Hamas in the region. In a report released Wednesday, the organization listed ...
The Hill - Dec. 5
Amnesty accuses Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

Israel denies the accusation, saying it is defending itself against Hamas attacks in accordance with international law.
BBC News - Dec. 5