A thread on Israeli journalists and "direct & public incitement to commit genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza:
In January the @CIJ_ICJ ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent & punish incitement to commit genocide. The Court "reaffirmed" this in March and May.
In South Africa's 29 May public dossier that was submitted to the UN Security Council, Annex III includes 7 pages on incitement to genocide by 5 prominent journalists and pundits.
The importance of these examples lies in the fact that they repeatedly and publicly, over 8 months, continued to incite to genocide, and genocidal acts, including as we shall see more recent examples.
Their incitement promoted the view that all Palestinian civilians in Gaza are killable, that it is permissible to target innocent civilians because they do not exist in Gaza, that all of Gaza should be wiped out.
One of those mentioned by South Africa is Shimon Riklin of Channel 14.
Recently, after the massacre in Al-Nusseirat, Riklin retweeted a long post by journalist Schlesinger that denies the existence of "uninvolved" (i.e. innocents) in Gaza (see below) and commented that destroying the entire Gaza is a religious duty.
Yehuda Schlesinger, "a reporter for Israel Hayom, one of the most widely distributed newspapers in Israel", repeatedly tweeted that there "are no innocents in Gaza" and "no ordinary civilians".
Recently, 11 June, he repeated his claim that "there are no uninvolved in Gaza" - a euphemism for "all Palestinians in Gaza are killable and deserve to be killed".
In fact, on 9 June, he wrote a quasi-manifesto seeking to show how broad and systematic is the lack of innocence and lack of civilian status in Gaza: voters, those who cheered, doctors, UNRWA workers, all 2.3 million. All not innocent.
As mentioned above, another prominent journalist Shimon Riklin concluded from this mini-manifesto that all of Gaza should be destroyed.
Another prominent journalist that South Africa includes in its submission, is Zvi Yehezkeli, who until recently worked for Channel 13.
Another example is Almog Boker of Channel 13, known for repeated calls to destroy all of Gaza and rejecting the distinction between Hamas and the civilian population.
On 9 June, Boker jumped on the rumor that a hostage was held in the house of "Al-Jazeera journalist", which Al-Jazeera denied, to repeat the mantra that the family of anyone "involved" and even their "silent" neighbours are killable.
Important to note that while Channel 14 and Israel Hayom are pro-Netanyahu outlets, Channel 13 is not, but is considered a relatively more liberal channel. Thus, the incitement to genocide extends beyond the Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu crowds.
As Israel's prominent TV “expert” on Arab and Palestinian affairs for over 2 decades, where he promoted racism against Arabs & Muslims, Yehezkeli’s statements carry a special weight and impact.
As one Haaretz journalist wrote on 28 December, Yehezkeli represents "the spirit of the time and place".
The legal importance of these examples is threefold:
1. they show Israel's lack of punishment and prevention of incitement to genocide. Quite the contrary, these prominent journalists continue to be provided with platforms to spew hatred, over 8 months.
Note that legally that a conviction of "direct & public incitement" does not require proving that the result was achieved. The content of the message is sufficient. Unless, incitement is considered as a form of "complicity in genocide", which is a separate violation.
2. They serve as another indication of Israel's violation of the ICJ provisional measures in Jan, March, and May 2024, solidifying Israel's status as a rogue state.
3. They also provide a further indication of Israel's violation of Israel's duty to prevent genocide. This duty imposes a "positive obligation" on states, meaning that they are required to act to ensure that violations of the Genocide Convention do not occur.
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1. "Given the developments during the reporting period, the Special Committee is ever more convinced that the world is witnessing genocide in Gaza" ohchr.org/en/documents/t…
2. "Committee is shocked by the extent of land confiscation, targeting of communities, separation of families, demolitions, forced evictions, killings, physical abuse and other tactics employed... to push Palestinian communities from their lands and homes" in the West Bank
3. "Special Committee has received disturbing briefings on the systematic and widespread perpetration of sexual and gender-based violence, torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment inflicted on Palestinian detainees by Israeli military and security forces"
1. The Trump - Netanyahu plan should be opposed and rejected. It offers the Palestinians a choice between colonial apartheid and occupation, at best, and gives a cover for the continuation of the genocide, at worst. 1/24 🧵
2. This is a unilateral, one-sided plan, that is delivered as an ultimatum. Therefore it would effectively justify the continuation and completion of the genocide. Either because Hamas will be cornered to reject it or because Israel will violate it.
3. Israel has a track record of violating agreements (no withdrawal from Lebanon after Nov 2024 agreement; violating cease fire agreement in March 2025; no lifting of blockade despite release of a hostage in May 2025).
UN Commission of Inquiry concludes on reasonable grounds that Israel have committed and is continuing to commit the following actus reus of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
The report released today adds to the growing consensus that Israel has been committing genocide since October 2023 ohchr.org/sites/default/…
The Commission recommends that all Member States: Employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent the commission of genocide in the Gaza Strip;
1. The most annoying thing about the Ezra Klein interview with Philippe Sands is his use of Lemkin to maintain that 7 October was a genocide. It is had to reconcile this with Lemkin's actual book. A brief 🧵
2. The glaring omission from this statement by Sands are the words "occupation" and "coordinated plan"; and thus the recognition of the gross power asymmetry between Israelis and Palestinians. To begin with, here is Lemkin's definition:
3. Lemkin continues: genocide has 2 phases...
(Who has confiscated the lands and displaced the residents? Who has de-nationalised? Who has imposed their national pattern? who is the occupier?)
1. When journalists say 'Israel says' they are not actually quoting what Israeli leaders say repeatedly, rather they are simply repeating talking points that conceal what Israel actually says and does. Examples since March 2025🧵
2. Talking point: "This will all end if Hamas releases the hostages."
Netanyahu, March 2025: "voluntary migration. This is the plan. We are not hiding it." gov.il/en/pages/pm-ne…
3. Talking point: "Israel did not say that it is using starvation as a method of warfare."
a) Israel, 2 March 2025: "PM Netanyahu has decided that, as of this morning, the entry of all goods and supplies to the Gaza Strip will be halted." gov.il/en/pages/spoke…
1. “Children shot in the chest while reaching for food. People crushed or suffocated in stampedes. Entire crowds gunned down at distribution points. In @MSF nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians.”
@MSF 3. "We’re being slaughtered. I’ve been injured maybe 10 times. I saw it with my own eyes, about 20 corpses around me. All of them shot in the head, in the stomach." - Mohammed Riad Tabasi, a patient who was treated at the @MSF Al-Mawasi clinic msf.org/ghf-run-food-d…