As it hosts Africa's first G20 Summit, South Africa remains fixated on Israel. It is likely to leverage its Summit hosting – which key players including the United States have boycotted – to once more attack Israel while its own government ignores atrocities within its own borders. This at the same time as many attending G20 states have outright rejected South Africa's allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Distrust of experts is at an all-time high. Whether it relates to COVID-19 or climate change, expert opinions are now casually dismissed in favor of armchair commentators. All the while, the true experts wrestle underlying complexities, relying on the assessment of hard evidence, not emotion, and the proper frameworks.

Nowhere is this failing more present than allegations that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinian people. These circled within days of the October 7th attacks, before Israel's now-ceased military campaign had begun in earnest. For its critics, tarnishing Israel with the label of genocide, the most heinous crime under international law that precipitated the founding of that very State, has proven irresistible.

Take the International Association of Genocide Scholars ("IAGS") - an organization regularly cited in top tier press. Its resolution earlier this year alleging that 86% of those who voted claimed that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza is riddled with flaws. In fact, only 28% of members participated in the vote - just above the 20% minimum required for a resolution to pass, with membership available for just $30 a year.

This resolution fails........

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