Israel has told us they want genocide. Believe them.
Intention is usually harder to prove when accusations of genocide are made. But in Israel’s case, they’ve been so open and explicit about it, it’s not even a secret.
To prove intent to commit genocide, you need to prove the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such,” in the language of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. But in Israel’s case, they’ve been so open and explicit about it it’s not even a secret. There’s even a database with 500 recorded statements documented by Law for Palestine.
Here are just a few quotes from the top echelons (the President and Prime Minister) right the way through to journalists, followed by public opinion polls:
President Herzog
“It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. This rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved, it’s absolutely not true. They could’ve risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime”
“There are no innocent civilians in Gaza”
Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant
“We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly […] We will eliminate everything — they will regret it”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu:
“You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible — we do remember,” he said during an official video statement.
Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who heads the Israeli army’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories (COGAT), declared
“There will be no electricity and no water (in Gaza), there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell”.
Moshe Feiglin, the founder of Israel’s right-wing Zehut Party and former Likud representative in Israel’s parliament
“There is one and only (one) solution, which is to completely destroy Gaza before invading it. I mean destruction like what happened in Dresden and Hiroshima, without nuclear weapons”
In another statement, Feiglin said Israel’s end goal should not be to eliminate Hamas, but rather, “Gaza should be razed and Israel’s rule should be restored to the place. This is our country”.
Amit Halevi, Likud member in parliament
“There should be two goals for this victory: One, there is no more Muslim land in the land of Israel … After we make it the land of Israel, Gaza should be left as a monument, like Sodom”.
MP Yitzhak Kroizer
“The Gaza Strip should be flattened, and for all of them there is but one sentence, and that is death.”
Tally Gotliv, from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party
Demanded the prime minister use a nuclear bomb on Gaza for “strategic deterrence”, the letter says, quoting her as saying: “Before we consider inserting ground troops, doomsday weapon.”
Boaz Bismuth, Likud MP
Evokes the biblical massacre of the Amalek nation, enemies of ancient Israel.
“It is forbidden to take mercy on the cruel, there’s no place for any humanitarian gestures […]The memory of Amalek must be erased.”
Nissim Vaturi, deputy speaker for Israel’s parliament
“Nakba? Expel them all […] If the Egyptians care so much for them — they are welcome to have them wrapped in cellophane tied with a green ribbon.”
Ariel Kallner, a member of Israel’s parliament
“Nakba to the enemy now! This day is our Pearl Harbour. We will still learn the lessons. Right now, one goal: Nakba! A Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 48. A Nakba in Gaza and a Nakba for anyone who dares to join!”
Yinon Magal, a journalist and politician
“It is time for Nakba 2.”
In another post on the social media platform, X, Magal captioned a picture of a carpet-bombed neighbourhood, “This is how all of Gaza should look”.
Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said in a radio interview that dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza was a possible tactic Israel could employ.
“Your expectation is that tomorrow morning we’d drop what amounts to some kind of a nuclear bomb on all of Gaza, flattening them, eliminating everybody there,” the interviewer said.
Journalist Zvi Yehezkeli,
“[We] should have killed many times 20,000 people, [we] should have begun with a blow of 100,000.”
And there’s a long history before October 7th of genocidal intent from Israel. As far back as1969, former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir stated, “There was no such thing as Palestinians”. This year, in March, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich repeated the same claim, saying there’s “no such thing as the Palestinian people”.
But what about pubic opinion?
Public opinion poll “War in Gaza Public Opinion Survey (2) 18–19/10/2023” Survey conducted by the Israeli Democracy institution. Two of the questions:
- To what extent do you think that Israel should take into consideration the suffering of the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza when planning the next phases of fighting there?
47.5% of Jewish-Israelis said: Not at all
- Do you agree or disagree that when undertaking military operations, the IDF should ensure that it is not breaking international laws and rules of war?
33.6% of Jewish Israelis said: Somewhat agree
26.2% of Jewish Israelis said: somewhat disagree
19.4 of Jewish Israelis said: Strongly disagree
