In the rush to vilify Israel, genocide scholars ignored the truth
This week, the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution stating Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
An Israeli soldier hangs an Israeli flag on an armored personnel carrier near the border with the Gaza Strip, April 15, 2024. Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images
Sept. 1 marked the 86th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland, the start of World War II and the subsequent Holocaust. This somber anniversary was also marked by breaking news that the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution declaring Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.
As a member of the association since 2013, I had been raising concerns about this deeply biased and inaccurate resolution for weeks. When it was first proposed to the IAGS membership in late July, I immediately connected with a number of fellow IAGS members who shared my concerns about the resolution and its incorrect assessment of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Among them was the biased so-called “expert” sources cited to support these erroneous claims. They included deeply questionable organizations and individuals, including Amnesty International (which rewrote the international definition of genocide to support its claims against Israel) and Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, whom the U.S. State Department condemned in June 2025 for “unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West.”
Rather than include thoroughly researched sources from experts in warfare, like retired Maj. John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, the sources selected for inclusion reinforced the biased, anti-Israel agenda of its authors.
Also of note, no original research from the IAGS membership was cited, which is unusual given the high stakes and international attention on this issue. Perhaps that is because one of the only pieces of research done by IAGS members on this subject is my peer-reviewed policy brief from December 2023 about the genocidal intent and actions of Hamas.
The IAGS, an association dedicated to research and teaching about genocide with a membership composed of scholars, activists and artists, presents a distorted analysis of the Israel-Hamas war. Its resolution purports to critically examine the defensive war Israel is waging against Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization, and mislabels it genocide. Acting in self-defense by engaging in a war against an existential threat is not the same as “intent to destroy, in whole or in part” the Palestinian people living in Gaza.
Every civilian death in this war is a tragedy, but the data cited in the IAGS resolution not only fails to differentiate between civilians and combatants, but also relies entirely on Hamas-produced statistics. Using reports from a singular biased source is not just academically lazy; it recklessly distorts the data.
The resolution also ignores Israel’s unprecedented measures to avoid civilian casualties, often giving up the strategic advantage while targeting Hamas terrorists. This is mind-boggling, given that Israel is setting new, vigorous standards of urban warfare that will hopefully change such engagement for the better by reducing civilian casualties.
The IAGS resolution also conveniently ignores the publicly stated aims of the Israeli government, which include disarming Hamas, ensuring that terrorists do not govern Gaza again and returning the 48 remaining hostages in order to heal the survivors and properly bury those who were murdered. These aims are not genocidal.
Israel is also actively preventing the genocide that Hamas has openly stated they would attempt again and again, if given the chance, to annihilate Israel and all the world’s Jews.
Unfortunately, rather than seizing an opportunity for nuanced analysis of a very difficult and complicated war, the resolution does real harm by leaning into misinformation and disinformation campaigns and recklessly bandying the term “genocide” to describe the war in Gaza.
Rather than advance scholarly discourse on a gravely important topic, the political leanings and prejudices of the IAGS leadership mean they have turned away from the mission of the association — to “further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide.” Instead, they offer fodder to the people who will read this resolution and leverage it to justify hurting Jews.
I fought this resolution and lost. Out of an estimated 500 members, 108 voted to pass this resolution (per IAGS, for a resolution to pass, it requires a 2/3 majority from a quorum of at least 20% plus one of all paid-up IAGS members). I tried to advocate for transparency, but the leadership refused to disclose who authored this resolution. I was promised a forum for scholarly debate and discussion, but no town hall was held.
The headlines covering the results that IAGS actively reposted on its now-deleted X account presented the false perception of an overwhelming majority vote. There was none. Of the approximately 500 members, only 129 voted. Those who oppose this heinous, libelous resolution were silenced.
Twelve years ago, I was excited and proud to join the IAGS community. I thought I had found my people. Today, I am saddened by what it has become. And anyone who considers themselves a genocide scholar should be embarrassed by this resolution. I know I am.
