The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has released a study that concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 2023 meet the criteria for genocide.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel has retaliated with the intention of eliminating Hamas within the Gaza strip. Over 65,000 Gazans have been killed since the almost two-year long conflict began.
The 72-page report found that under the Genocide Convention established in 1948, Israel is complicit in failing to prevent genocide, as well as committing genocide in Gaza. The report said that Israel’s actions match four out of the five criteria for genocide. Israel has reportedly discussed permanently relocating Gazans to other countries which, if that were to occur, could result in all five actions being fulfilled by Israel.
The report said that that Israel was committing genocide based on factors of killing and causing harm to Gazans in various ways, as well as ruining the lives of Gazans on purpose as a whole and trying to prevent future generations from being born.
“The Commission concludes on reasonable grounds that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have committed and are continuing to commit the following actus reus of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, namely (i) killing members of the group; (ii) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (iii) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and (iv) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.”
The conclusions also mention leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant as responsible for genocide.
Israel also continued their attacks on Gaza on the same day as the report maintaining that their actions are in self-defense and they have no plans to stand down while also accusing the UNHRC of being pro Hamas and antisemitic.
Within Connecticut, there was an event known as Pedal for Palestine held on Sept. 21 organized by Jewish Voice for Peace members. Members and participants rode bikes after meeting in New Haven along a seven-mile route to get more people to understand and learn about the conflict in the Middle East. They also want the U.S. government to halt all funding to Israel as they believe they are complicit in genocide as accused by the report.
Within Connecticut, a 2023 estimate shows the state Palestinian population being close to 700 people which would make up 0.02% of the state. Another demographic study suggests that West Haven has the largest Palestinian population in the state by city or town with being home to almost 21% of the Palestinian population within the state.
Additionally in August, two U.S. citizens from Meriden, Conn., a mother and son who are of Palestinian descent were both detained at an airport in Israel after being declared a security risk. They had been there to visit family in the West Bank, but would not be allowed to return until September thanks to pleas from Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes who represents Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District. Connecticut is also home to the first ever Palestinian themed museum opened in the U.S., the Palestine Museum in Woodbridge which opened in 2018. The museum includes exhibits related to Palestinian history, art, culture, readings and more.
Genocide refers to crimes committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a race, ethnicity, religion, or nationality. The UNHRC consists of 47 member-states that work to investigate alleged human rights offenses committed around the world.
The council was founded in 2006 and has notably investigated alleged violations in multiple countries such as in Myanmar and Russia. Reactions nationwide were sparked by this report. Politicians from both political parties have called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.
Independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont said in a press release, “Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a massive surge of humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own.”
Before the report was released, in July Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also referred to the situation in Gaza as a genocide. On Sept. 21, Canada, Portugal, Australia, and the United Kingdom officially recognized a Palestinian state in a landmark move to try to pressure Israel to stop their attacks on Gaza. Then, at the United Nations General Assembly held in New York City, five more countries, most notably France, would also recognize a Palestinian state.
There are currently 156 nations in the world that recognize a Palestinian state. The U.S, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and South Korea are amongst the nations that still do not recognize Palestine, and President Trump said that recognizing Palestine is a gift for Hamas.
In response, a letter was penned by Democratic congressman Ro Khanna from California that urged Trump to recognize a Palestinian state which received 46 signatures, none of whom are from Connecticut’s congressional house delegation. Trump however has additionally urged Israel to not annex the West Bank, which they have threatened to do so amidst nations recognizing Palestine.
During the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas addressed remotely after the Trump administration denied him a visa. He called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide, and asked that Hamas not control Gaza after the conflict ends and that Palestinians not be relocated from Gaza and the West Bank. Abbas also warned that Israel could potentially go beyond Palestine and into other Arab nations for a Greater Israel proposal. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the accused in the study, spoke at the UN General Assembly, a large number of delegates walked out of the room which led him to speaking to a nearly empty room. Throughout his speech, Netanyahu continued to deny that Israel has engaged in genocide, denounced Palestinian statehood, and committed that Israel would finish their intended operations in Gaza despite international pressure.
