Tel Aviv: A leading genocide scholar and Holocaust historian has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in besieged Gaza.
According to TRTworld.com, Dr. Omer Bartov, a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, articulated his profound concerns about the ongoing situation in Gaza through a piece published in The New York Times. He argued that the scale and intent of Israeli military actions cannot be justified under international law.
By May 2024, following the large-scale destruction of Rafah and the forced displacement of over a million Palestinians to the Mawasi coastal zone, Dr. Bartov concluded that Israel's actions bore the hallmarks of a systematic campaign aimed at rendering Gaza uninhabitable. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the enemy would pay a "huge price" and advised Gaza residents to "leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere." He referenced the biblical story of Amalek—often interpreted as a call to obliterate an entire population—and promised to "turn Gaza into rubble."
The rhetoric from other officials has been similarly inflammatory, with references to Palestinians as "human animals" and calls for "total annihilation." One senior Israeli lawmaker, Nissim Vaturi, expressed that Israel's task must be "erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth."
Dr. Bartov argued that such language, combined with Israel's military actions—systematic bombings, targeting civilian infrastructure, and creating conditions that make life in Gaza untenable—constitutes clear evidence of genocidal intent and execution. He emphasized that the goal appears to force the population to leave the Strip entirely or to debilitate the enclave through bombings and severe deprivation, making it impossible for Palestinians in Gaza to sustain or reconstitute their existence as a group.
Reaching this conclusion was personally painful for Dr. Bartov, who grew up in a Zionist home, lived much of his life in Israel, served in the IDF, and has dedicated his career to researching war crimes and the Holocaust. Despite his initial resistance, his extensive experience in teaching classes on genocide led him to recognize the current situation in Gaza as such.
His warning comes amid a growing consensus among genocide and international law scholars, including Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, and organizations like Amnesty International. South Africa has even brought a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Dr. Bartov warns that Israel's actions now exceed the boundaries of war, as the military is no longer combating an organized force but is engaged in "demolition and ethnic cleansing" operations aimed at making Gaza unlivable. He cautioned against the continued refusal by governments, institutions, and Holocaust scholars to acknowledge Israel's conduct, as it risks undermining the post-Holocaust international legal framework and threatens the moral order that underpins global society.