Deborah Berger

The Genocide Lie • Israel is not committing genocide. The 1948 Genocide Convention defines genocide as the intent to destroy an entire ethnic, religious, or national group (5). Israel is defending itself against Hamas, a terrorist organization that explicitly calls for the extermination of Jews. "The Day of Judgement will not come until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say: O Muslims, O Abdullah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." (Hamas Charter, Article 7) (6). The real genocide is not being committed by Israel, but against it. Hamas and its backers openly call for the complete annihilation of Jews-not just Israelis, but all Jews worldwide (7). Israel is fighting not for expansion, not for oppression, but for survival. • The combatant-to-civilian ratio in Gaza proves Israel is not engaged in genocide. Despite Hamas embedding itself in civilian areas, using human shields, and violating international law, Israel's civilian casualty ratio remains significantly lower than wartime norms. In modern conflicts, the ratio of civilians to combatants is much higher, yet Israel-despite Hamas's illegal tactics-continues to minimize civilian casualties through advance warnings, precision targeting, and adherence to the laws of war (8). • Hamas intentionally violates the rules of war. According to international law, combatants must distinguish themselves from civilians, wear uniforms, and avoid using civilian areas for military operations. Hamas does the opposite-it hides in hospitals, launches attacks from schools, and prevents civilians from evacuating dangerous areas (9). This deliberate strategy is designed to maximize civilian casualties so Hamas can falsely accuse Israel of war crimes, despite being the cause of those deaths. Labeling Israel's defensive war as genocide is not just inaccurate-it is a dangerous distortion of reality meant to demonize Israel while absolving Hamas of its war crimes.