A new study conducted by the University Network for Human Rights, the International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law, the International Human Rights Clinic at Cornell Law School, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria and the Lowenstein Human Rights Project at Yale Law School concludes that Israel has committed genocidal acts in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on the 7th of October, last year (1). The summary and press release of the study report stated on Wednesday (2):
“After reviewing the facts established by independent human rights monitors, journalists, and United Nations agencies, we conclude that Israel’s actions in and regarding Gaza since October 7, 2023, violate the Genocide Convention. Specifically, Israel has committed genocidal acts of killing, causing serious harm to, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, a protected group that forms a substantial part of the Palestinian people.”
“Israel’s genocidal acts in Gaza have been motivated by the requisite genocidal intent, as evidenced in this report by the statements of Israeli leaders, the character of the State and its military forces’ conduct against and relating to Palestinians in Gaza, and the direct nexus between them. As this report details, officials at all levels of Israeli government, up to and including the Prime Minister, have made remarks that not only express blatant and unequivocal dehumanization and cruelty against Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere, but also explicitly reflect intentions to destroy and exterminate Palestinians as such. The patterns of conduct of Israeli military forces in Gaza further reinforce the finding of Israel’s genocidal intent.”
“Israel’s violations of the international legal prohibition of genocide amount to grave breaches of peremptory norms of international law that must cease immediately. These violations also give rise to obligations by all other States: to refrain from recognizing Israel’s breaches as legal or taking any actions that may constitute complicity in these breaches; and to take positive steps to suppress, prevent, and punish the commission by Israel of further genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The facts in this report are current as of May 1, 2023*. Between its finalization and publication, reports emerged of additional, egregious abuses by Israel against Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah and elsewhere, where more than a million Palestinians are seeking refuge. These developments, though not reflected in the report, further demonstrate Israel’s ongoing genocidal conduct and intent, and underscore the urgency with which the international community must act.”
*Please note that the date was “May 1, 2024” elsewhere in the summary, so this is probably a typo.
References:
(1) “Israel committing genocide in Gaza, new study concludes” Middle East Monitor 16.5.2024
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240516-israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-new-study-concludes/
(2) “Genocide in Gaza: Analysis of International Law and its Application to Israel’s Military Actions since October 7, 2023” Human Rights Network 15.5.2024
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