Amnesty International activists demonstrate in support of the Syrian people at the Fountain of the Innocents in Paris on 29 May 2012. Photo: Reuters
Amnesty Israel has rejected an Amnesty International report accusing Israel of committing genocide during its war with Hamas in Gaza. Amnesty International’s Israeli section said in a statement released on Thursday that the allegations lacked sufficient evidence to meet the requirements of proving genocide, The Jerusalem Postreported.
Despite the fact that Amnesty Israel acknowledged the high level of civilian casualties in Gaza and expressed concerns about possible violations of international law, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, the organisation stressed that the evidence base does not support the accusation of genocide. According to Amnesty Israel, in order to qualify actions as genocide, there must be evidence of intent to destroy a certain group of people, which, in their opinion, has not been confirmed.
However, Amnesty Israel noted that Israel had not taken sufficient measures to prevent public calls for genocide, including statements by public figures calling for collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza in response to the 7 October massacre by Hamas. Some members of Amnesty Israel expressed the opinion that there was sufficient evidence to qualify the events as genocide, although this position was not supported by the majority.
Amnesty Israel also criticised Israel’s ongoing occupation of territories outside internationally recognised borders, calling it apartheid, and called for the dissolution of the system. However, Amnesty Israel did not support the global organisation’s operational recommendations, such as cutting off arms supplies to Israel or imposing sanctions on Israeli and Hamas officials. Instead, Amnesty Israel called for a ceasefire, the return of Israeli hostages, the release of Palestinian prisoners without trial, and increased humanitarian aid for Gazans.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded swiftly to the Amnesty report, calling it “false and fictitious”, stressing that it distorts the reality of the violence perpetrated by Hamas during the 7 October attacks. Israel reiterated its position that its actions were fully legitimate under international law, in the context of defending itself against attacks from several fronts.
The international community continues to debate the complexity of the ongoing conflict, with both sides facing indictments for war crimes.
