There鈥檚 a reason the Journal published a 10,000-word cover story last week making the case that Hamas was guilty of genocide on Oct. 7.
A few weeks earlier, the writer, investigative journalist Gerald Posner, showed in another cover story, 鈥淕enocide for Dummies,鈥� why accusing Israel of genocide was not just wrong but absurd.
In the face of a stunning decline in Israel’s global status, however, saying Israel is not guilty is not enough. It鈥檚 weak. It鈥檚 playing defense. If we can show the world that Hamas committed genocide on Oct. 7, why are we defending ourselves instead of attacking?
That is why we published all 10,000 words, our longest-ever cover story. We wanted readers to see the full argument that pins the genocide label on Hamas. The way Posner weaves his case is not just credible; it鈥檚 comprehensive and masterful.
It revolves around this question: 鈥淚f the 1948 Genocide Convention鈥檚 list of prohibited acts and 鈥榮pecial intent鈥� requirement were applied to Oct. 7, 2023, did Hamas commit a genocidal act on that day?鈥�
Posner takes international bodies to task for never asking that question, one they routinely ask about Israel.
鈥淲hen an institution runs the Genocide Convention against one belligerent and declines to run it against the other,” he writes, “it is a choice that matters because the incendiary charge of genocide has become the moral center of gravity for anti-Israel activists, shaping campus debates, arms embargoes and court filings.鈥�
Posner does what no legal body dared to do: he judges Hamas using the legal standards of these same international bodies, and he finds the goods.
So, while the world recklessly screams “genocide” at Israel, Posner carefully and methodically turns the tables on the real culprit. He punches big holes in the case against Israel鈥攁 nation that defended itself against a barbaric invasion– and uncovers boulders of evidence against the invaders.
鈥淎pplying the same standard I did to Israel,鈥� he concludes, 鈥渢he case that Oct. 7 was a genocidal act is much stronger than the case against Israel.鈥� This is a case, he reminds us, that 鈥渉as never been examined by the institutions that were most eager to use the word.鈥�
It’s a case where the stakes are enormous. Genocide is the most evil of crimes. It now rolls off the tongues of Hollywood celebrities, mayoral candidates, leaders of NGOs and international bodies, the mainstream media, even last week鈥檚 Nobel Prize winner.
If the genocide lie is the lie of the century, fighting it must become our fight of the century.
Meanwhile, the pro-Israel community seems to have fallen asleep. We’re investing huge resources and spending untold millions “fighting Jew-hatred” and yet, Jew-hatred keeps growing and public support for Israel in America keeps plummeting.
Our mistake is a lack of focus. Jew-hatred is too general. The major driver of Jew-hatred right now is most obviously the genocide lie. For Jew-haters, that is their weapon of mass destruction. For Jews, it must become our target of maximum attention.
We need an 鈥渁ll-hands-on-deck鈥� mentality. Every organization that cares about Israel鈥� ADL, AJC, JNF, AIPAC, ZOA, Federations, activist groups, Christian Zionists, everyone– must mobilize for the fight.
This has nothing to do with left or right. You can despise the Israeli government and hate its war policies and still agree that the genocide accusation is a sinister lie that is endangering Jews.
We’ve already seen several initiatives debunking the lie. Those are necessary but hardly sufficient. Now it’s high time we go after Hamas. Set up emergency task forces. Invite top creative and legal minds. In short, for once let’s put Hamas and its millions of shameless supporters squarely on the defensive.
We have a bunker buster: 10,000 words of evidence that Hamas committed genocide on Oct. 7.
What are we planning to do with it?
