(X) Maj. (ret.) Andrew Fox - Some are still claiming a genocide in Gaza, in the face of all available evidence. The definition of genocide is the "intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group." No one has shown evidence of a clear plan to destroy all Gazans. We have documented and unquestionable Israeli attempts to remove civilians from the areas they are attacking. For example, they delayed the assault on Gaza City until a million people had fled South. That is not the action of an armed force determined to commit genocide. Hamas fighters are legitimate targets. Israel has killed 15-20k Hamas fighters. Hamas omits this in their weekly casualty figures. We can safely take Hamas's reported "40k dead civilians" and bring that total down to 5-15k at most. Were those civilians legally collateral damage? I don't know and you don't know. We're 10 months in. The conditions, while clearly appalling for Gazan civilians, are demonstrably not bringing about physical destruction to any greater extent than one would expect in a war zone, and even the most recent reports say there is no famine. Be appalled at dead civilians: that is the correct human response. But the deepest shame is on those who disregard all available evidence and twist facts, accusing the victims of being the perpetrators. The writer, who served in the British Army from 2005-21, is a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society and a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
2024-08-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive