Israel is confronted by criticism from within

TWO prominent Israeli rights groups have said their country is committing genocide in Gaza, the first time that local Jewish-led organisations have made such accusations against Israel during nearly 22 months of war.

- SAM MEDNICK Associated Press

The claims by B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) add to an explosive debate over whether Israel’s military offensive in Gaza - launched in response to Hamas's deadly attack on October 7, 2023 - amounts to genocide.

The Palestinians, their supporters and international human rights groups make that claim, and the International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel, but in Israel, founded in the wake of the Holocaust, even the government's strongest critics have largely refrained from making such accusations.

That is because of the deep sensitivities and strong memories of the Nazi genocide of Europe’s Jews, and because many in Israel view the war in Gaza as a justified response to the deadliest attack in the country’s history and not an attempt at extermination.