No, Israel Is Not Committing 'Genocide' Against the Palestinians

Jeff Charles reporting for RedState 

It appears some members of the chattering class have fallen in love with a new buzzword: Genocide. The term has become a favorite among those who oppose Israel and its war against Hamas. Many prominent figures on the hard left, and to a lesser degree, on the hard right, have taken to using the label to describe the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) campaign to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

As the war in the Middle East rages, the rest of the world is reacting and choosing which side they will support in this conflict. But along with the bullets and missiles being exchanged on the ground, other weapons are being used to fight the war for public opinion, which is where the term “genocide” has come into play.

On Saturday, pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protesters marched in the nation’s capital to demonstrate against Israel’s prosecution of its war against the terrorists. Leaders called out Israel for supposedly committing genocide against the Palestinian Arabs living in Gaza under Hamas’ rule.

The protesters not only advocated against Israel’s actions against Hamas, but also lashed out at President Joe Biden for supporting the Jewish state. During the march, they referred to him as “Genocide Joe.”

Is it true that Israel is engaged in an effort to commit genocide against the Palestinians?

Well, if we take a look at the actual definition of the term, it appears those making this contention are in dire need of a dictionary. In fact, let’s take the United Nations, an entity that has clearly shown it is not pro-Israel, and see what they say about it. Here is the organization’s definition:

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with

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.

So, is Israel attempting to wipe out Arabs living in Gaza and the West Bank? It’s an accusation that has been made against Jerusalem for decades. But even the most cursory glance at the numbers reveals the real picture.

According to WorldData.info, the Arab population in Gaza and the West Bank increased from about 2 million people in the early 1990s to over 5 million in 2022. This marks a growth of 155 percent over 32 years. To give even more perspective, the entire world’s population increased by about 50.6 percent during the same timeframe, which means the Palestinian population is growing at a faster rate than the rest of the world.

In light of this data, there are only two reasonable takeaways. Either Israel’s government is wildly incompetent at committing genocide, or it is not actually trying to wipe out the Palestinian population.

Let’s cut to the chase.

In my not-so-humble opinion, the vast majority of people claiming Israel is committing genocide do not actually believe this balderdash – at least those who happen to be politicians, media figures, and digital influencers. These people know that using terms like “genocide” or “ethnic cleansing” inspires deep emotions among the populace. It conjures images of Nazi Germany’s holocaust against the Jewish people.

This is nothing more than a clever and insidious form of propaganda intended to view Israel as the evil villain in this entire conflict while deflecting attention away from Hamas.

Speaking of Hamas, the term “genocide” applies more to the terrorist group than to Israel in this regard. Hamas’ stated objective is to destroy Israel as a Jewish state. The group’s operatives seek to eradicate the Jewish presence in the region – and they are 100 percent honest about this objective. Hamas’ charter makes it very clear that their aim isn’t to hammer out a peaceful solution that works for both parties. Its only goal is to eliminate the Jews – which is clearly a genocidal fantasy.

To be clear, the organization has not actually committed genocide – but only because it lacks the resources and strength necessary. If Hamas were strong enough, they would jump at the opportunity to wipe Israel off the face of the map and eliminate the Jewish people.

Unfortunately, untold numbers of people have been conned by the people claiming Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Currently, the media is claiming that 9,000 Palestinians have been killed during the fighting, using numbers provided by Hamas itself, which means they should be taken with an entire vat of salt. Nevertheless, even if their numbers were accurate, it is a drop in the bucket when compared to the entire population of Gaza, which amounts to over 2 million people.

Reasonable people can disagree about the details surrounding Israel's counterattack against Hamas, and even the overall Israel/Palestinian conflict. But lying about Israel's actions in an effort to sway public opinion does not help anyone in terms of finding a peaceful solution to this issue.