UN Study Finds Israel Officially Guilty of Genocide, Not Just of War Crimes
Sept. 20—A United Nations Commission of Inquiry report released Sept. 16,the results of their two-year study, finds that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who many refer to as "The Butcher of Gaza," incited these acts. It orders Israel to cease, and other countries to fulfill their obligation to end Israel’s genocide. The report was issued the day that Israel launched its "final solution" ground invasion of Gaza City, which is expected to slaughter tens of thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children.
Previously, the Commission, set up in 2021, had established and published “that the Israeli security forces committed crimes against humanity, war crimes and the actus reus of two underlying acts of genocide in Gaza.” This new 72-page report, “Legal Analysis of the Conduct of Israel in Gaza Pursuant to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” established and “concluded that Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births. Explicit statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities and the pattern of conduct of the Israeli security forces indicate that the genocidal acts were committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group.”
Of note, a finding of genocide is not about how many killings constitute a genocide. While the killing of a sizable portion of a victim population is undoubtedly involved, the preceding paragraph addresses the legal definition of genocide. That means that Netanyahu argues with a reckless disregard when he claims that, if Israel had wanted to carry out genocide, they would have wiped out the whole population in one day. By his standard, Adolf Hitler also never committed genocide.
Chair of the Commission Navi Pillay stated: “The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention. The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.”
Otherwise, Pillay explained: “Israel has flagrantly disregarded the orders for provisional measures from the International Court of Justice and warnings from Member States, UN offices, human rights organizations and civil society groups, and continued the strategy of destruction of the Palestinians in Gaza. The Commission finds that the Israeli authorities had no intention to change their course of actions.”
She added: “The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity. Every day of inaction costs lives and erodes the credibility of the international community. All States are under a legal obligation to use all means that are reasonably available to them to stop the genocide in Gaza.”
The UN statement concluded: "The Commission urges the Government of Israel to comply immediately with its international legal obligations, including to end the genocide in the Gaza Strip and fully implement the provisional measures orders of the International Court of Justice. Israel must end its policy of starvation, lift the siege and facilitate and ensure the unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale and unhindered access of all United Nations staff, including UNRWA and OHCHR international staff, and all recognized international humanitarian agencies delivering and coordinating aid. The Commission calls on Israel to immediately end the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
“The Commission recommended that Member States cease the transfer of arms and other equipment that may be used for the commission of genocidal acts to Israel; ensure individuals and corporations in their territories and within their jurisdiction are not involved in aiding and assisting the commission of genocide or incitement to commit genocide; and take action on accountability through investigations and legal proceedings against individuals or corporations that are involved in the genocide directly or indirectly.”