International Association of Genocide Scholars condemned over ‘reckless’ Gaza vote
IAGS leadership accused of a variety of practices designed to stifle opposition to a highly controversial motion claiming Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
The International Association of Genocide Scholars has been condemned for a controversial declaration that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, with a member of the body describing how “the process was a disaster from start to finish”.
In a step widely reported on by international media yesterday, the IAGS, widely described as “the world’s leading association of genocide scholars”, voted to recognise Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a genocide – though almost three quarters of its 500 person membership did not vote. The Association’s President, Melanie O’Brien, described the resolution as “a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide”.
However, Dr Sarah Brown, a member of the IAGS, said: “I have been a member… for over a decade and can confirm 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.”
Dr Brown went on to describe how “this resolution is incorrect in its assessment of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. It includes many unsubstantiated claims, is poorly cited (using deeply biased, questionable sources), and perpetuates an intentionally distorted analyses of the Israel Hamas War.”
She said: “This resolution does real harm by recklessly bandying the term ‘genocide’ to describe this war and gives fodder to the people who will read this resolution and leverage it to justify hurting Jews.
“Anyone who considers themself a genocide scholar should feel embarrassed by this vote.”
Once an organisation whose membership was comprised solely of genocide scholars, in recent years, the IAGS has opened up membership to activists and artists.
Elliot Malin, an International Law expert, described the IAGS resolution as “interesting. And not in a good way for the IAGS.
He described how the motion “misstated the ICJ’s ‘plausibility’ determination saying it was ‘plausible genocide,’ which is not true. The ICJ said that Palestinians plausibly have rights to protection under the Genocide Convention. The President of the ICJ who wrote it clarified this at a later time.”
Malin also pointed out that the IAGS motion “assumes without justification that no combatants have been harmed in the war”, and that “it assumes without justification that there are no legitimate military targets in Gaza knowing that Hamas embeds within civilian and humanitarian infrastructure.”
Malin summed up how “the IAGS resolution’s process included quieting dissenting voices, pushing it through without debate, not permitting the promise to have a town hall or dissenting opinions published, and then passed with about 25% voting members even participating.”
E-mails shared with Times of Israel showed that the IAGS leadership has agreed in late July to a town hall discussion with regards to the Gaza resolution, “as with previous resolutions,” but that this decision was reversed a few days later.
Brown told TOI that “the appearance is that this was a unanimous vote on behalf of the entirety of the association. It was not, and they refused to have a transparent, critical discussion,” Brown said. “The leadership, in my opinion, had an agenda.”
The public, she told the Israeli publication, is “going to see, ‘Genocide experts agree.’ No, we don’t, and we were deliberately silenced.”
Emily Sample, a communication’s officer for the IAG, responded by saying:
“We felt, and the authors of the resolution felt that there was sufficient contextual information for all of the scholars in the community to make their own informed decision before the vote.
“The space for discussion is through articles and other publications.”
Earlier this year, Alice Wairimu-Nderitu, who was the United Nation’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, did not have her position renewed. Many believe that this was because she had consistently refused to label Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
