How the War of the Words in Gaza Makes It Harder To Save Lives

Politico

6 days ago

Under President Joe Biden, when the U.N. and partner agencies appeared close to declaring a famine had taken hold in Gaza, the U.S. officials who wanted to push Israel to limit its attacks and let in more humanitarian aid would get the edge in the debate, two former U.S. officials familiar with the conversations told me.
The new pressure on Israel would work, and more food would reach Palestinians. But it meant there was no famine declaration. That then gave the upper hand in the debate to more hawkish U.S. officials, who used the absence of the 'famine' label to argue for going easier on the Israelis. The cycle would then repeat itself, the former officials said.
I granted anonymity to many of the people I spoke to so they could be candid about sensitive deliberations and because, in some cases, they need to keep good relations with various governments involved in conflicts.
The use of the word 'genocide' in the Gaza conflict has been especially fraught.
Almost since the start of the war, pro-Palestinian activists have accused Israel of committing genocide against the people in Gaza. In the many months since, even some genocide scholars have come to the same conclusion. This week, two Israeli human rights groups made the same allegation.
'Genocide' is a legal concept defined by international agreements and, in some countries, national laws. It is generally considered the gravest offense humans can commit against other humans. The intent of an accused perpetrator is a critical factor taken into consideration when jurists try to determine if a genocide took place, and traditionally, the bar has been high for groups to be labeled as victims of genocide.
In recent years, however, many groups who have suffered atrocities have laid claim to that word. They include the victims of the Islamic State, the Uyghurs in China, and the Rohingya of Myanmar. Some Ukrainians have alleged Russia is pursuing genocide against them, while Russia counters that Kyiv has engaged in genocide against Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
Activists who push to use the term 'genocide' often seem to suggest that if any label short of that is used, it means that a group's suffering doesn't matter.
This is unfortunate, Malinowski and others say, because other legal terms that could apply, such as 'war crimes' or 'crimes against humanity,' are still very grave offenses whose perpetrators should be held accountable.
A government's decision to accuse another country of genocide often comes down to politics.
Israel has far broader, deeper support in Washington than countries such as Myanmar or China. It also bears the history of the genocide of the Holocaust, one reason Israeli leaders are infuriated at growing claims that they are waging genocide against the Palestinians.
Israeli leaders argue that Hamas' desire to wipe out Israel is itself an attempt at genocide of the Jewish people. Israel also says it is not deliberately attacking the Palestinian people as a whole. But that becomes harder to argue when civilians are dying both from hunger and what critics say is excessive use of force.