‘Genocide’ is a legal distinction and no more | Letter

Some Maine rabbis wrongly contend that using “genocide” in reference to Gaza is “hateful and misleading,” when it is simply a legal distinction that genocide scholars and human rights experts recognize is being perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. (“Maine Jewish leaders push back on Gaza genocide accusation against Israel,” Aug. 3)

Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for plausible genocide. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights classifies Gaza as genocide, as do three offices of U.N. Special Rapporteurs. Another U.N. commission determined that Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant engaged in the crime of “direct and public incitement to commit genocide.” The International Association of Genocide Scholars, a group of 500 academics who study genocide as a vocation, concludes Gaza as suffering genocide. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch concur.

The rabbis state that use of genocide reduces support for peace into “participation in a ‘Holocaust inversion’ against the Jewish community.” This makes no sense, as most of my fellow activists are Jews.

There has been a resurfacing of antisemitism and related violence in the U.S. over the last decade, but the true threat posed by those who would harm any Jew, Muslim or person of color must not be confused with “feeling threatened” by criticism of Israel. Silencing references to the Gaza genocide by claiming criticism of Israel is akin to demonizing Jews is disingenuous and makes us all less safe.

Paul Cunningham
South Portland

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Tagged: letter to the editor