Is There a Respected Voice That Doesn’t Label It Genocide?
“Can I name someone whose work I respect who doesn’t consider it genocide?” asked one researcher. “No.”
In the United States, only a select group of progressive Democratic legislators have described Israel’s intense attacks on Gaza as “genocide.” This term has sparked division among the American public, with less than 40% agreeing in the previous year that this label fits the actions of the Israel Defense Forces, which include bombings of hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and other civilian areas.
However, this topic isn’t debatable for seven top international genocide scholars. Even those who initially resisted such categorization now agree. These experts, who were interviewed by the Dutch newspaper NRC on Wednesday, collectively assert that Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza. They also noted that this is a majority view among academic peers.
Raz Segal, an Israeli researcher specializing in genocide at Stockton University in New Jersey, expressed his inability to identify any respected colleague who disagrees with the genocide designation. “No,” he firmly stated.
Uğur Ümit Üngör, a professor at the University of Amsterdam and at the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies, also confirmed, “I don’t know them.”
The report emerged on the eve of Nakba Day, marking 77 years since the forced displacement of Palestinians upon the establishment of Israel, coinciding with a Gaza death toll reported by NRC to be 53,010, including at least 15,000 children.
The newspaper highlighted a shift in perspective over the past 19 months, noting that even previously hesitant voices now acknowledge the genocidal nature of the situation in Gaza.
Israeli academic Shmuel Lederman from the Open University of Israel initially opposed labeling the situation as genocide. His stance changed following actions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, which disregarded a January 2024 International Court of Justice order. This order demanded the allowance of emergency aid into Gaza and the cessation of incendiary comments by top officials toward Palestinians. Israeli leadership has been recorded describing Palestinians with derogatory terms such as “human animals” and “Amalek”—a biblical reference suggesting annihilation.
Lederman’s view shifted particularly after the Israel Defense Forces took over the Rafah crossing last year, severing the sole route for humanitarian aid amidst warnings of impending famine and predictions that the death toll could reach 200,000. He articulated on the social media platform X, “For me personally, the combination of this and the ongoing devastation in Gaza transitioned from severe criticism of Israel’s actions to recognizing those actions as collectively genocidal.”
Since a cease-fire was violated in March, with Israel reinstating a complete blockade on humanitarian aid, almost 3,000 Palestinians have been killed in bombings, and nearly 250,000 are now experiencing severe food shortages, as per the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
Melanie O’Brien, president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, told NRC that the intentional denial of “food, water, shelter, and sanitation” by the Netanyahu government solidified her view of the situation as genocidal. Meanwhile, Segal highlighted the “explicitly genocidal statements” made by Israeli leaders.
The term genocide, as explained by British professor Martin Shaw, should be understood holistically, NRC emphasized. The field of genocide studies views it not as a yes/no scenario but as a process — more akin to a dimmer switch than a light switch, in Üngör’s words.
The Western media and political debates often oversimplify the issue, as noted by NRC. Defenders of Israel’s tactics argue it is a military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas, without a clear intent for systematic eradication, and that the situation does not resemble the Holocaust.
Historian Rutger Bregman, discussing the matter on X, echoed the sentiments of scholars interviewed by NRC: “Genocide is a process. It’s not a simple on/off switch, and it shouldn’t be compared directly to the Holocaust.”
Segal, who is Jewish, shared with NRC that he often faces accusations of antisemitism for his critical stance against Israel. A German expert, preferring anonymity, described the topic as “poisoned” in Germany, where mentioning potential genocide by Israel leads to immediate labels of antisemitism, unlike reactions to comparable acts elsewhere.
Dirk Moses, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Genocide Research, commented that if the field does not address the blurred lines between military actions and genocide, it risks becoming “not only conceptually incoherent but complicit.”
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