Amnesty International’s report redefines genocide, invents facts to condemn Israel and ignores facts that exonerate Israel.
Amnesty admits to its bogus genocide definition on page 101, complaining that the actual definition is “overly cramped.” The report also misleadingly edits several Israeli officials’ quotes to “demonstrate” genocidal intent, and ignores numerous others that disprove such intent.
Amnesty nowhere acknowledges that despite Hamas hiding behind human shields, the ratio of Gaza civilian deaths to combatants killed is lower than in other urban warfare world-wide. Amnesty also disregards that ratio’s cause: Israel’s advance warnings and other steps to mitigate harm to Gaza civilians, which go beyond precautions undertaken by any other military. Those mitigating steps demonstrate Israel’s goal is not genocide but, far from it, to minimize civilian casualties while exercising Israel’s rights to free hostages, apprehend Oct. 7 atrocity perpetrators, and protect Israel’s population from further attacks.
Amnesty ignores Hamas’ responsibility for Gaza civilian casualties, including its illegally hiding among those civilians and stealing food meant for them. Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7 massacre and refuses to end it by releasing Israeli hostages.
Amnesty’s Israel branch has publicly rejected the organization’s genocide conclusion. Several branch members accused the report’s authors of reaching “predetermined conclusions” in a manner “that is not typical of other Amnesty International investigations” and is “motivated by a desire to support a popular narrative among Amnesty International’s target audience.”
Amnesty’s persistent anti-Israel bias is well-documented. Amnesty USA director Paul O’Brien has stated that Israel “shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state.” He has evidently made no such comments about the 23 countries that declare Islam their state religion. Amnesty’s report is propaganda concocted to hold Israel to a double standard and deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination.
Orde F. Kittrie is Senior Fellow of Foundation for Defense of Democracies and law professor for Arizona State University.