Leading genocide scholars formally declare that Israel's war in Gaza meets the UN definition of genocide.
The world’s top genocide scholars have formally declared that Israel’s war on Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide, marking a landmark intervention from leading experts in the field of international law.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a 500-member body of academics founded in 1994, passed a resolution on Monday, stating that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza fulfil the definition of genocide set out in the 1948 United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Eighty-six percent of those who voted among the 500-member International Association of Genocide Scholars backed the resolution declaring Israel’s "policies and actions in Gaza" had met the legal definition set out in Article II of the 1948 UN convention on genocide.
The resolution called on Israel to halt “deliberate attacks on civilians, including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other essentials; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement”.
The resolution came as Israel faces a separate case at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, where it is already accused of genocide.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
IAGS has previously recognised genocides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Armenia, and Myanmar. The UN convention it cites defines genocide as crimes committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”.
Since the genocide scholars' association was founded in 1994, it has passed nine resolutions recognising historic or ongoing episodes as genocides.
The IAGS publishes a journal and holds regular international conferences of scholars studying genocide, and is considered the largest academic group in the field. Another group, the International Network of Genocide Scholars, also holds conferences and publishes a journal but does not issue similar resolutions.
