Brown University professor describes Gaza war as ‘genocide’

ANKARA

Israeli-American scholar Omer Bartov said Saturday that the war in the Gaza Strip constitutes a form of genocide under the UN definition.

Omer Bartov, a professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University in the US, elaborated in detail on the issues he addressed through events in Gaza and his criticisms of Zionism in his new book, “Israel: What Went Wrong?” in an interview with The New Yorker magazine.

Stating that large-scale destruction has occurred in Gaza, Bartov emphasized that the killing of a large number of Palestinians falls within the scope of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“There is rhetoric in Israel that has genocidal characteristics,” he said. “Some officials serving in the Israeli government, army and security structures are making statements that have genocidal characteristics.”

The scholar stated that the US administration, during the term of former President Joe Biden, did not intervene in what was happening in Gaza and said Israel would not be able to continue attacking Gaza without American support.

“Israel could only sustain an operation of this scale and intensity with the continuous support of the US. Weapons, economic aid and especially diplomatic protection provided through veto power at the UN Security Council are the main elements of this support,” said Bartov.

Pointing out that the Israeli government aims to remove the population in Gaza from the region, he stated that the approach has evolved from ethnic cleansing into genocide.

“Some feel uncomfortable because they know that what I say about Gaza is true,” he said, noting that there is a group that does not want to describe what is happening in Gaza as genocide and there are those who associate the events with the Jewish Holocaust.

‘A particular genocide’

“What is happening does not resemble the Holocaust. What is happening in Gaza is not the Holocaust,” he stated. “What is happening in Gaza is a particular genocide. It is very different from the Holocaust and corresponds to the UN definition of genocide.”

Stating that Israel’s intentions in Gaza are clear and visible, Bartov said, “At the moment, the people of Gaza are living in less than half of the territory. They have no shelter, they are living in tents, they have no infrastructure, and no one is doing anything about it.”

He said there are plans to create a holiday area in Gaza for wealthy groups and a model is envisaged in which Palestinians would work in low-paid cleaning and service jobs, and spend the rest of their time in so-called humanitarian aid centers resembling concentration camps.

Root of problem lies in Zionism

Bartov said it is necessary to go back to 1948 to find the root of the problem, as he evaluated his new book.

He stated that Israel, never having had a Constitution and the transformation of Zionism into a state ideology, are among the things that “went wrong.”

Emphasizing that Israel has, over time, turned into an ideology fueled by extremism, militarism and racism, ultimately leading to genocide, Bartov said, “Anyone who supports this understanding becomes a partner in the actions of this political ideology.”

The scholar stated that criticism of support for Israel has increased in right-wing and left-wing circles in the US due to its influence on policies, and that some groups, therefore, want to distance themselves from Israel.

He said the situation could be positive for Israel and that he believes Israel should free itself from dependence on the US.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said April 14 that Israel had committed 2,400 violations of a ceasefire agreement signed last October, including killings, arrests, blockade measures and starvation policies.

Israeli ceasefire violations had killed 809 Palestinians and wounded 2,267 since the truce took effect, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ceasefire followed two years of genocide that began in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 Palestinians and injuring over 172,000, while devastating 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.

*Writing by Merve Berker