Pants-of-dog wrote:If the only rebuttal to the findings is an ad hominem against the author, we can move on to the argument presented in the paper.
It is not an ad-hominem to point out that the author is selective when considering allegations.
Pants-of-dog wrote:After a preamble discussing settler colonialism, the economic logic thereof, the context of the current conflict, and the legal definition of genocide, she gets down to bRass tacks.
The first argument is the megadeaths of civilians. She mentions evidence like the average number of children killed per day (100 during the initial bombardment, 10 now from malnutrition).
The second is the vast amounts of injuries, trauma, amputations, operations without anesthesia, and other acts of bodily harm. The evidence again includes examples of children (for example) undergoing emergency amputations without anesthesia or even medical equipment.
The third point is the deliberate crafting of an environment where necessary resources are too scarce to sustain life. Famine is mentioned, as well as lack of potable water, lack of housing, and lack of medical facilities.
So those are the acts, but mere acts do not constitute genocide. Intent must also be shown.
Which the paper also looks at….
No such evidence is provided, for example, there is no source for the claim that 10 children are dying from malnutrition every day:
26. Moreover, Israel’s heightened blockade of Gaza has caused death by starvation, including 10 children daily, by impeding access to vital supplies.67 Lack of hygiene and overcrowded shelters could cause more deaths than bombings,68 having created “the perfect storm for disease”.69 A quarter of Gaza’s population could die from preventable health conditions within a year.70
The link on footnote 67 is broken
and the closest match I could find does not mention anything along these lines.
Likewise, she also mentions:
35. By mid-December, Israel’s bombs and shells had destroyed or severely damaged most life-sustaining infrastructure, including 77 percent of healthcare facilities, 68 percent of telecommunication infrastructure, large numbers of municipal services (72), commercial and industrial sites (76), almost half of all roads,97 over 60 percent of Gaza’s 439,000 homes,98 68 percent of residential buildings,99 all universities, 60 percent of other educational facilities, including 13 libraries.100 Israel has also destroyed at least 195 heritage sites, 208 mosques, 3 churches, and Gaza’s Central Archives (150 years of history).101 By the end of January, over one million civilians were forcibly displaced southward, their cities devastated.102
Yet the most credible source in all of these,
UNOSAT, says on footnote 99:
UNOSAT wrote:UNOSAT Gaza Strip Comprehensive Damage Assessment - January 2024
This map illustrates a satellite-imagery based comprehensive assessment of damage and destruction to structures within the area of interest in the Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestinian Territory, based on images collected on 6 and 7 January 2024 when compared to images collected on 1 May 2023, 10 May 2023, 18 September 2023, 15 October 2023, 7 November 2023, and 26 November 2023. According to satellite imagery analysis, UNOSAT identified 22,130 destroyed structures, 14,066 severely damaged structures and 32,950 moderately damaged structures, for a total of 69,146 structures. These correspond to around 30% of the total structures in the Gaza Strip and a total of 93,800 estimated damaged housing units. The governorates of Gaza and Khan Yunis have experienced the highest rise in damage, with 10,319 new structures damaged in Gaza and 11,893 in Khan Yunis. Gaza City had the highest number of newly destroyed structures, with 8,926 in total. This is a preliminary analysis and has not yet been validated in the field.
30% is a much, much lower figure than she cites, from an official UN body. And it's in line with other comparable conflicts that featured mostly urban battles, conflicts nobody sees as genocidal.
And so forth and so on.
- By Skynet
- By Rancid