Strong Views on Israel and Genocide

New York Times

6 days ago

To the Editor:
Re 'No, Israel Is Not Committing Genocide in Gaza,' by Bret Stephens (column, July 23):
Mr. Stephens's leniency toward Israel's actions in Gaza gives rhetorical cover to policies causing immense human suffering and a huge number of civilian deaths. Whitewashing the genocidal nature of Israel's war is a serious moral failure — especially when urgent public clarity is needed to push for change.
Mr. Stephens argues that if Israel intended genocide, its military could have caused far more deaths. But genocide is about intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a group. Dismissing genocide because a powerful state didn't maximize killing reduces it to a numbers game and ignores reality.
Israel's imperfect judicial processes and institutional constraints, along with the Netanyahu government's awareness of legal consequences, have forced limits on its actions. But the result — nearly 60,000 deaths reported, when Israel was capable of killing many more — doesn't mean intent was missing.
To the contrary, the disciplined destruction of entire towns and civil infrastructure, the tactic of pushing civilians into designated zones and killing those who do not 'move' are all indications of an intent to kill as many Palestinians as needed to make life for them in Gaza unattainable. Intent to destroy Palestinian life in Gaza is obvious. That's a genocide by definition.
Tamir Aldema TshuvaRamat Hasharon, Israel
To the Editor:
Bret Stephens argues that casually invoking the term 'genocide' merely dilutes its meaning. However, the repercussions extend far beyond semantic erosion. Such inflammatory language ignites intense emotional reactions on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, potentially prolonging the violence and exacerbating human suffering.
For Hamas and its supporters, accusations of genocide against Palestinians can bolster recruitment efforts and justify continued resistance, framing the struggle as an existential battle. Conversely, for Israelis, who carry the historical scars of the Holocaust, these claims may heighten fears for their survival, prompting a more resolute defense and diminishing prospects for compromise.
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