Association of ‘experts’ who called Gaza a genocide open to anyone to join

An organisation described by international media as ‘the world’s leading association of genocide scholars’ after it voted in favour of a motion to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide has been found to be an organisation which operated an open membership model, meaning anyone was able to join and become a voting member if they pay a nominal fee.

As widely reported earlier this week, the International Association of Genocide Scholars voted on a motion to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide. Around 28% of the organisation’s 500+ members voted on the motion, with 82% of those voting supporting it. The IAGS’s adoption of the motion was reported worldwide – the BBC’s headline was “Israel committing genocide in Gaza, world’s leading experts say”, while the Guardian went with the very similar “Israel committing genocide in Gaza, world’s top scholars on the crime say”.

However, it soon emerged that the way the vote had been conducted was highly irregular, with Dr Sarah Brown, a longstanding member of the IAGS, describing how “the process was a disaster from start to finish. Those of us against the resolution tried to submit our concerns for discussion but were blocked by the leadership.

“We were promised a town hall, which is a common practice for controversial resolutions, but the president of the association reversed that. The association has also refused to disclose who were the authors of the resolution.”

It has since emerged that while the AIGS contained a number of members who were indeed recognised and respected genocide scholars, the organisation’s membership model meant that it was open to “artists”, “activists” and others with no relevant qualifications in the field of genocide studies. Salo Aizenberg, a board member of the Honest Reporting media watchdog, described how he was able to join the organisation this week simply after paying membership dues – priced at $125, but going as low as $30 to those who confirmed they were suffering from financial constraints. Furthermore, it was discovered that the organisation, which was formed in 1994, had approximately 150 members prior to 7 October, but that its membership had ballooned to more than 500 in the period since. The IAGS did not reveal which of its 115 or so members voted in favour of the resolution describing Israel’s conduct in Gaza in genocide, meaning there is a significant possibility that many of those who voted in favour had no qualifications or expertise in the subject.

The IAGS has since removed its new members page from its website as well as taking down its current list of members.

In a social media post, Aizenberg said:

“Yesterday I joined the organization as a ‘genocide scholar,’ paid my dues, and quickly realized I had started a trend. It turns out literally anyone can join this body and vote on matters that make international headlines—like the resolution claiming Israel is committing genocide.

“A review of the ~600 membership list revealed that large numbers have no scholarly credentials at all. The group openly encourages ‘activists’ and anyone interested to sign up. I found at least 80 members hailing from Iraq. Who voted for the Gaza genocide resolution? We don’t know—the ~100 votes were never disclosed. Could it have been dominated by this bloc? Hard to say.

But what happened next is telling: today the IAGS shut down its new membership page and, more importantly, removed its membership list from public view. Perhaps they no longer want the public to see who is really behind these votes, now that it’s been exposed.

“Yes, there are some legitimate academics who are members. But when an organization with no standards, no transparency, and no accountability makes sweeping pronouncements about “genocide,” it isn’t scholarship—it’s politics masquerading as scholarship. And everyone deserves to know the difference.”

The IAGS has been contacted for comment.