Accusations of “genocide”: Amnesty International report rejected by the government and a local NGO

In the wake of Wednesday’s publication of Amnesty International’s 300-page report, accusing Israel of “committing genocide” against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Jewish state rejected its conclusions on Thursday, through its government. as well as the NGO Amnesty Israel.

“The deplorable and fanatical organization Amnesty International has once again produced a fabricated report, completely false and based on lies,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement. a press release Thursday.

More nuanced, Amnesty Israel, an NGO distinct from the international organization, affirmed that, despite the scale of the attacks against civilians in Gaza, it is doubtful that “the element of intention in the perpetration of total extermination or part of the Palestinian population in the context of the war” has been proven, reports the left-wing Israeli daily Haaretz.

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Amnesty accuses Israel of “genocide” in Gaza

“Superficial analysis”

The Israeli branch of Amnesty thus accuses the report of a “superficial analysis”: the authors of the report would have “reached a predetermined conclusion” and would have “not drawn a conclusion based on an objective examination of the facts and the law. “. They particularly criticize the equivalence that would be made by the relationship between “massive destruction” in Gaza and “genocidal intent”.

Despite the scale of the “atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip against civilians, which, at first glance, may resemble genocide, the international convention dealing with this crime, as well as the international law created accordingly, also requires proof that these crimes were committed with ‘special intent’ and specifically to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinian population of Gaza. Many of us doubt whether this intention can be unambiguously proven. » explains a press release from employees, some of whom occupy management positions, obtained by the Haaretz.

However, the organization Amnesty International explains not only that it relied on images – particularly satellite images – which document the devastation of the Palestinian territory but also on “genocidal and dehumanizing declarations by the Israeli government”. It further claims to be based on criteria defined by the United Nations Genocide Convention.

Sharing statements from Amnesty Israel employees, the Haaretz asserts, however, “that a small number of Israeli members” of the organization have argued that “based on available information, it is possible to determine that Israel is committing or has committed genocide in Gaza.” »

The Amnesty International report which provoked these reactions of rejection in Israel, covers the period between October 7, 2023 and the beginning of July 2024 and is notably based on interviews with around 200 inhabitants of Gaza and representatives of the various authorities of the Gaza Strip. The NGO also announced that it would publish a report on the crimes committed by Hamas during the attack of October 7, 2023.