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Israeli Leaders Accused of Incitement to Genocide [1]

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Date: 2025-02-26

I did not post about Israel and its actions in Gaza for over a month, hoping that the three-step ceasefire agreement would lead to a permanent peace in the region and create a path for formation of a Palestinian state. With the Trump administration’s proposals for a U.S. take-over of Gaza, its open-ended pledge of support for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and its assault on academic freedom and freedom of speech in the United State, I decided to start posting about Israel and Gaza again. This is the third in a series of posts.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accusing them of war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. In December 2024, France-based Israeli lawyer Omer Shatz filed a 170-page report with the ICC accusing seven current and past Israeli government officials and a prominent Israeli journalist of inciting genocide against Palestinians. The report was prepared by Shatz and his students at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. In addition to Netanyahu and Gallant, the accused are President Isaac Herzog, current Defense Minister Israel Katz, retired army general Giora Eiland, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and television journalist Zvi Yehezkeli.

Under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the crime of genocide is difficult to establish because prosecutors must prove that genocide took place and that the accused intended to destroy a group of people. However, inciting genocide does not require that the genocide took place.

The International Court of Justice is already considering accusations made by South Africa that Israel is guilty of genocide. Spain, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Ireland, Nicaragua, Turkey, Egypt, and Libya are supporting South Africa’s claims.

Shatz and his students kept a record of statements by Israeli leaders to establish a pattern of dehumanization and incitement against Palestinians in Gaza. Shatz argues that Israeli leaders repeatedly described "every Palestinian as inherently complicit, as a threat, or even as a future terrorist” and that this was used to justify the murder on non-combatants. According to Shatz, “Our case shows that Israeli officials' statements meet the legal criteria for direct and public incitement to genocide.”

An article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz included a number of the statements by Israeli leaders entered into evidence by Shatz and his team.

Quotes by Israeli leaders brought as evidence of 'Incitement to genocide'

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, October 9, 2023: "I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly."

President Isaac Herzog, October 12, 2023: "It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It's not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved. It's absolutely not true. They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime. … But we are at war, we are defending our homes, and when a nation protects its home, it fights, and we will fight until we break their backbone."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, November 3, 2023: "This is the war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness. We will not let up on our mission until the light overcomes the darkness – the good will defeat the extreme evil that threatens us and the entire world."

Energy Minister (now Defense Minister) Israel Katz, October 12, 2023: "Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home. Humanitarianism for humanitarianism. And no one will preach us morality."

Giora Eiland, retired IDF major general, former head of the Israeli National Security Council, October 7, 2023: "This is what Israel has begun to do – we cut the supply of energy, water and diesel to the Strip ... but it's not enough. To make the siege effective, we have to prevent others from giving assistance to Gaza. ... The people should be told that they have two choices: to stay and to starve, or to leave."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, October 8, 2023: "We need to deal a blow that hasn't been seen in 50 years and take down Gaza."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, October 17, 2023: "As long as Hamas does not release the hostages it is holding – the only thing that needs to enter Gaza is hundreds of tons of explosives by the air force, and not an ounce of humanitarian aid."

TV Journalist Zvi Yehezkeli, December 19, 2023: "The IDF should have launched a more fatal attack with 100,000 killed in the beginning. Yes, there are 20,000 Hamas members. I don't know who was and who wasn't involved. And who is or isn't innocent."

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