I find some of Mr. Rotberg's commentary hard to swallow.
"The 1948 Convention specifically prohibits “forcibly transferring children….”
That is very clearly one of major results of Israel's conduct in Gaza. It could only be called non-intentional if Israel can't add 2 + 2 and get 4.
"Israel has bombed and battled in Gaza to eliminate dastardly Hamas."
Israel's Zionists have "bombed and battled" in Palestine "to eliminate dastardly" Palestinians since 1948, and before. (see below)
"...have caused mayhem and 16,000 or so civilian non-Hamas deaths ."
"Mayhem" is a catch-all dismissal for the war crimes Israel has committed. "16K OR SO (?) civilian deaths..." Who/what are the source of that number, and vetting them as civilians? It's about half what most media are reporting.
"In other words, Israel is losing when it should be winning."
How does he derive either half of this conclusion? They have killed tens of thousands, and displaced and starved 100s of thousands, destroyed dozens of hospitals and schools, and enabled and motivated many thousands of Israelis to steal more Palestinian land. And Israel is "losing?" And why "should they be winning?" By what divine right, or ethical or moral calculus (the principles by which he make his genocide arguments in Sudan and elsewhere), does Israel possess the right, or the high ground, or the advantage to be "the winners" when they have been persecuting Palestinians for 75 years?
"Israel has violated provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions..."
So, in other words, it's leaders are war criminals.
"...the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) itself is motivated more by an all-out defense of the realm..."
And what does "all-out" mean? Pursuing tactics that kill and starve Palestinian civilians.
"Its (IDF) mission is to eliminate Hamas, not civilians in the Gaza Strip."
According to what policy? The policy-in-action is certainly not protecting civilians from being killed by Israeli (and IDF) action. In other words, if "not civilians" is their aim, they are doing a crap job. Clearly, it's not their aim.
"Tragically, not following American guidelines, the IDF has acted imprecisely..."
Imprecisely? That's what he calls indiscriminate (if not purposeful) killing of civilians? That's what the Sudanese aggressors are being - imprecise?
"What should have been a straightforward military pursuit of Hamas, not an indiscriminate bombing of Gazans,"
No, "indiscriminate murder of Gazans." Did the Nazis indiscriminately gas Jews, or indiscriminately murder Jews? Both, and that's what Israel is doing to Gazans.
"... excessive deaths of non-combatants.'
"Excessive?" That's a euphemism for murder, if not genocide.
“Deliberately inflicting on a group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction…” is a genocidal act under Article II of the Convention. "
What other just, accurate, and dispassionate phrasing could better fit Israel's actions?
"... according to the Genocide Convention, there must be both motivation and intent. Israel will argue that it still has no “intent” even though the results of its bombing are clear."
And what do those "clear results" make clear? That Israel's "motivation and intent" is to "deliberately inflict on a group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction…"
"[Israel's] refusal to create a viable Palestinian state..."
It is not, and should not be, in Israel's power to decide whether or not "to create a viable Palestinian state." As with the creation of Israel, it was not the decision of a single neighbor, but by the collaboration of many powers.
"It is not “stopping” non-existent genocidal acts that should be Netanyahu and Israel’s immediate goal."
What sort of congested double-talk is this? "...not stopping non-existent acts..." This can only be an attempt to obfuscate the obvious, i.e. genocide by any other name.
[BTW, typo: "It is easier to make a case the Putin is exacerbating genocide in Ukraine...."
It is easier to make a case THAT Putin is exacerbating genocide in Ukraine.]
Some of the history:
"Hamas breaking the cease-fire on Oct 7..." How about Israelis in the West Bank, killing innocent Palestinians? Or the state of Israel, in '48 -- thousands of Palestinians massacred. Even Haim-Moshe Shapira, a signatory to Israel's Declaration of Independence, declared of these mass killings, that "all of Israel's moral foundations had been undermined." Minister David Remez: "the deeds that had been done remove us from the category of Jews and from the category of human beings altogether." Aharon Zisling: "these criminals (Jews) were striking at the soul of the whole government." Oct. 7 was hardly the beginning.
The Jewish Virtual Library offers revealing numbers: Up until 1882, the height of Jewish settlers in Palestine, Jews represented 8% of the population—up from 3.2% 350 years earlier, indicating that Jews were already immigrating to the so-called "Promised Land." In 1918, the Jewish population was 8%. In 1936, when European Jews began to immigrate in droves, that number went up to 28%. In 1947, the Jewish population of Palestine was 32%, while in 1948, the percentage of Jews jumped to 82.1%. So, are Jews really the indigenous people of Palestine? What happened to all the Arabs between 1947 and 1948? Jews should know the word "diaspora" better than anyone else. The Jewish incursion into Palestine definitely created an Arab backlash and an identity of Palestinian/Arab nationalism. The Palestinians are the sole indigenous people in Palestine. Jews immigrated there for centuries, but that does not make them indigenous.
I think it’s linguistic legerdemain to say what Israel is doing is somehow separate from what the leaders intend. The IDF does what the leaders intend, even if it endeavors to limit non-combatant casualties, which on the face of what is happening, can be doubted.
Netanyahu has stated categorically that he will not see a Palestinian state on his watch {but, hey, he might see one, on his watch or immediately after he is dumped by his people, whether he wants one or not!}.
You are SO right about Sudan, and the need for world attention and help. Not just humanitarian aid for people being driven hither and yon and murdered across the landscape {so much needed!}— but help in putting an end to the RSF’s marauding {Janjaweed!}, and it’s monstrous intentions!
I believe you are in error. By deliberately destroying medical facilities, blockading all fuel, medical, & food supplies to civilians and creating a situation of starvation and fear among a population constantly herded from one mislabeled position of safety to another, ALL members of the Israeli government bear responsibility and accountability for those actions and the resulting deaths. As do those also merely following their orders.
I find some of Mr. Rotberg's commentary hard to swallow.
"The 1948 Convention specifically prohibits “forcibly transferring children….”
That is very clearly one of major results of Israel's conduct in Gaza. It could only be called non-intentional if Israel can't add 2 + 2 and get 4.
"Israel has bombed and battled in Gaza to eliminate dastardly Hamas."
Israel's Zionists have "bombed and battled" in Palestine "to eliminate dastardly" Palestinians since 1948, and before. (see below)
"...have caused mayhem and 16,000 or so civilian non-Hamas deaths ."
"Mayhem" is a catch-all dismissal for the war crimes Israel has committed. "16K OR SO (?) civilian deaths..." Who/what are the source of that number, and vetting them as civilians? It's about half what most media are reporting.
"In other words, Israel is losing when it should be winning."
How does he derive either half of this conclusion? They have killed tens of thousands, and displaced and starved 100s of thousands, destroyed dozens of hospitals and schools, and enabled and motivated many thousands of Israelis to steal more Palestinian land. And Israel is "losing?" And why "should they be winning?" By what divine right, or ethical or moral calculus (the principles by which he make his genocide arguments in Sudan and elsewhere), does Israel possess the right, or the high ground, or the advantage to be "the winners" when they have been persecuting Palestinians for 75 years?
"Israel has violated provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions..."
So, in other words, it's leaders are war criminals.
"...the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) itself is motivated more by an all-out defense of the realm..."
And what does "all-out" mean? Pursuing tactics that kill and starve Palestinian civilians.
"Its (IDF) mission is to eliminate Hamas, not civilians in the Gaza Strip."
According to what policy? The policy-in-action is certainly not protecting civilians from being killed by Israeli (and IDF) action. In other words, if "not civilians" is their aim, they are doing a crap job. Clearly, it's not their aim.
"Tragically, not following American guidelines, the IDF has acted imprecisely..."
Imprecisely? That's what he calls indiscriminate (if not purposeful) killing of civilians? That's what the Sudanese aggressors are being - imprecise?
"What should have been a straightforward military pursuit of Hamas, not an indiscriminate bombing of Gazans,"
No, "indiscriminate murder of Gazans." Did the Nazis indiscriminately gas Jews, or indiscriminately murder Jews? Both, and that's what Israel is doing to Gazans.
"... excessive deaths of non-combatants.'
"Excessive?" That's a euphemism for murder, if not genocide.
“Deliberately inflicting on a group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction…” is a genocidal act under Article II of the Convention. "
What other just, accurate, and dispassionate phrasing could better fit Israel's actions?
"... according to the Genocide Convention, there must be both motivation and intent. Israel will argue that it still has no “intent” even though the results of its bombing are clear."
And what do those "clear results" make clear? That Israel's "motivation and intent" is to "deliberately inflict on a group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction…"
"[Israel's] refusal to create a viable Palestinian state..."
It is not, and should not be, in Israel's power to decide whether or not "to create a viable Palestinian state." As with the creation of Israel, it was not the decision of a single neighbor, but by the collaboration of many powers.
"It is not “stopping” non-existent genocidal acts that should be Netanyahu and Israel’s immediate goal."
What sort of congested double-talk is this? "...not stopping non-existent acts..." This can only be an attempt to obfuscate the obvious, i.e. genocide by any other name.
[BTW, typo: "It is easier to make a case the Putin is exacerbating genocide in Ukraine...."
It is easier to make a case THAT Putin is exacerbating genocide in Ukraine.]
Some of the history:
"Hamas breaking the cease-fire on Oct 7..." How about Israelis in the West Bank, killing innocent Palestinians? Or the state of Israel, in '48 -- thousands of Palestinians massacred. Even Haim-Moshe Shapira, a signatory to Israel's Declaration of Independence, declared of these mass killings, that "all of Israel's moral foundations had been undermined." Minister David Remez: "the deeds that had been done remove us from the category of Jews and from the category of human beings altogether." Aharon Zisling: "these criminals (Jews) were striking at the soul of the whole government." Oct. 7 was hardly the beginning.
The Jewish Virtual Library offers revealing numbers: Up until 1882, the height of Jewish settlers in Palestine, Jews represented 8% of the population—up from 3.2% 350 years earlier, indicating that Jews were already immigrating to the so-called "Promised Land." In 1918, the Jewish population was 8%. In 1936, when European Jews began to immigrate in droves, that number went up to 28%. In 1947, the Jewish population of Palestine was 32%, while in 1948, the percentage of Jews jumped to 82.1%. So, are Jews really the indigenous people of Palestine? What happened to all the Arabs between 1947 and 1948? Jews should know the word "diaspora" better than anyone else. The Jewish incursion into Palestine definitely created an Arab backlash and an identity of Palestinian/Arab nationalism. The Palestinians are the sole indigenous people in Palestine. Jews immigrated there for centuries, but that does not make them indigenous.
I think it’s linguistic legerdemain to say what Israel is doing is somehow separate from what the leaders intend. The IDF does what the leaders intend, even if it endeavors to limit non-combatant casualties, which on the face of what is happening, can be doubted.
Netanyahu has stated categorically that he will not see a Palestinian state on his watch {but, hey, he might see one, on his watch or immediately after he is dumped by his people, whether he wants one or not!}.
You are SO right about Sudan, and the need for world attention and help. Not just humanitarian aid for people being driven hither and yon and murdered across the landscape {so much needed!}— but help in putting an end to the RSF’s marauding {Janjaweed!}, and it’s monstrous intentions!
I believe you are in error. By deliberately destroying medical facilities, blockading all fuel, medical, & food supplies to civilians and creating a situation of starvation and fear among a population constantly herded from one mislabeled position of safety to another, ALL members of the Israeli government bear responsibility and accountability for those actions and the resulting deaths. As do those also merely following their orders.