In reference to Jack Ryan’s Aug. 2 column, I firmly believe what is happening in Gaza is genocide. I’m just curious what else Israel can do in Gaza that would tip you over the line. Can acts of ommision rise to the level of genocide?
Yes, acts of omission can be considered genocide, but only when they are coupled with the specific intent to destroy a protected group. The UN Genocide Convention defines genocide, and while it focuses on acts, omissions can also fulfill the criteria if they contribute to the destruction of a group with the required intent.
Genocide is defined by the UN Genocide Convention as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. These acts can include:
• Killing members of the group.
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group.
• Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
• Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
While the definition focuses on acts, omissions can also be considered genocidal if they are committed with the intent to destroy a protected group. This means that failing to act, when there is a legal or moral obligation to do so, can be a form of genocide.
What is happening in Gaza is systematic genocide. Spin it any way you want, history will not be kind to the United States since we are funding the war.
— Bill Goodwin, New Orleans
