Israeli-Palestinian war crimes? Yes. Genocide? Maybe. A talk with Omer Bartov

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Words matter. No more so than in legal settings.

Genocide is the word most associated with Israel’s more than one-month-long assault on Gaza.

In response to the October 7 Hamas attack against Israel, in which at least 1,200, mostly civilian, Israelis were killed.

Genocide and Holocaust scholars, including those who believe that Israel has and is committing war crimes in its assault are divided about whether Israeli actions amount to genocide.

Even so, they warn that Israeli actions could lead to genocide, if it not already has.

What is certain is that optics streaming out of Gaza of the destruction and the plight of innocent Palestinian civilians, including large numbers of children and babies, explain the popular use of the term genocide when discussing the Israeli assault.

To get some proper definitions and put things in perspective. I am joined today by Professor Omar Bartov, a world-renowned genocide and Holocaust scholar at Brown University in Rhode Island.