RAZ SEGAL: Thank you for having me.
I think that, indeed, what weāre seeing now in Gaza is a case of genocide. We have to understand that the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide from 1948 requires that we see special intent for genocide to happen. And to quote the convention, intent to destroy a group is defined as racial, ethnic, religious or national as such that is collectively, not just individuals. And this intent, as we just heard, is on full display by Israeli politicians and army officers since 7th of October. We heard Israelās president. Itās well-known what the Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on 9th of October declaring a complete siege on Gaza, cutting off water, food, fuel, stating that āWeāre fighting human animals,ā and we will react āaccordingly.ā He also said that āWe will eliminate everything.ā We know that Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari, for example, acknowledged wanton destruction and said explicitly, āThe emphasis on damage and not on accuracy.ā So weāre seeing the special intent on full display. And really, I have to say, if this is not special intent to commit genocide, I really donāt know what is.
So, when we look at the actions taken, the dropping of thousands and thousands of bombs in a couple of days, including phosphorus bombs, as we heard, on one of the most densely populated areas around the world, together with these proclamations of intent, this indeed constitutes genocidal killing, which is the first act, according to the convention, of genocide. And Israel, I must say, is also perpetrating act number two and three ā that is, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and creating condition designed to bring about the destruction of the group by cutting off water, food, supply of energy, bombing hospitals, ordering the fast evictions of hospitals, which the World Health Organization has declared to be, quote, āa death sentence.ā So, weāre seeing the combination of genocidal acts with special intent. This is indeed a textbook case of genocide.