International Association of Genocide Scholars Condemns Israel's Policies in Gaza

Strategic Insights -

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a non-partisan group of over 500 academics, educators, activists, psychologists, lawyers, and artists, has adopted a resolution declaring that Israel's policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide. The resolution, which was adopted on August 31, was voted on by about 30% of the association's membership, with 109 in favor and 20 against. The resolution cited UN estimates of over 59,000 adults and children killed, the forced displacement of over 2 million Gazans, and the destruction of housing, schools, hospitals, archives, and agricultural fields and food warehouses.

Key Takeaways:

  • The IAGS resolution declares that Israel's policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide, citing UN estimates of over 59,000 adults and children killed and the forced displacement of over 2 million Gazans.
  • The resolution was adopted by 30% of the association's membership, with 109 in favor and 20 against.
  • Members who abstained or voted against the resolution, including some prominent genocide scholars, argue that the term "genocide" should be used with great caution and nuance, taking into account the complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
  • Some members, like Hilary Earl, an assistant professor of history at Nipissing University, abstained due to their belief that the term "genocide" should be reserved for cases where the perpetrator's intent is clear.
  • Others, like Israel Charny, an Israeli psychologist who co-founded the IAGS, wrote a rebuttal to a journal article accusing Israel of engaging in genocide in Gaza, arguing that Israel's actions were a legitimate response to Hamas aggression.
  • The resolution has sparked a heated debate, with some scholars accusing the IAGS of fetishizing the term "genocide" and others condemning Israel's policies and actions in Gaza as a form of genocide.

Statistics:

  • 30% of IAGS membership participated in the vote, with 109 in favor and 20 against the resolution.
  • UN estimates cited in the resolution: over 59,000 adults and children killed, the forced displacement of over 2 million Gazans.
  • 1,200 people killed in southern Israel in Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.

Sources:

  • International Association of Genocide Scholars resolution, August 31
  • Onur Uraz, chair of the association's resolution committee, in an interview
  • Andrew Woolford, sociology and criminology professor at the University of Manitoba, in an interview
  • William Schabas, Canadian professor of international law at London's Middlesex University, in an interview
  • Hilary Earl, assistant professor of history at Nipissing University, in an interview
  • Israel Charny, Israeli psychologist who co-founded the IAGS, in a rebuttal to a journal article
  • UN estimates cited in the resolution