The government of Israel – a land I love – is guilty of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Until recently, I was reluctant to invoke the term “genocide.” I was uncertain if the disproportionate attacks that the Israeli government has been perpetrating against the Palestinians of Gaza qualified for that designation that is rightfully dubbed “the crime of crimes.” I had no difficulty whatsoever in using the words “ethnic cleansing” and “vengeance” to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza in response to the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7th, 2023, and the ongoing and unimaginable hostage crisis, against which I have publiclydemonstrated and shall continue to raise my voice. I similarly felt no compunction in publicly condemning Israel’s blatant violation of international humanitarian law in its preemptive strike against Iran.

When it came to “genocide,” however, it was only after careful consideration of the conclusions of the majority of genocide scholars, including renowned Israeli academics Omer Bartov and Shmuel Lederman, that I came to realize my error in not applying this term more expeditiously to describe the massacre in Gaza. Specifically, as Bartov has concluded and explained in detail, by May 2024, “it appeared no longer possible to deny that the pattern of [Israel Defense Forces] operations was consistent with the statements denoting genocidal intent made by Israeli leaders in the days after the Hamas attack.” As of this writing in July 2025, it is morally indefensible not to do so.

The claim that some have put forth that Israel is taking actions necessary for any nation at war is an inherently false argument. To call the horrors of Gaza “war”........

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