Monday, May 27, 2024

What Moment Begins an Official Genocide?

Aryeh Neier was born a Jew in Nazi Germany and escaped with his parents. He co-founded Human Rights Watch and was at the forefront of establishing international tribunals. He was interviewed on CNN, but I can only find the full interview on Twitter

Neier says he was concerned with the size of bombs used in Gaza, but he didn't call what Israel is doing a genocide until they obstructed aid coming in, destroyed the farms, killed aid workers, challenged aid agencies, and turned a blind eye to defence forces and settlers attacking trucks. Those most victimized aren't Hamas, but children of citizens who will starve to death or at least be diminished by severe malnutrition. 

"The use of the term anti-semitism to attack those who criticize Israeli policies degrades the concept of Anti-semitism. Anti-semitism has been a great scourge but it doesn't insulate the Israeli government from being held to the same standards as other government have to be held to around the world. . . . Jews are only going be safe if everyone's rights are respected."

Neier also wrote about this in the New York Review. 

Recently Christa Peterson felt it appropriate to remind us how the Nazi genocide began with images from Robert Gellately's Backing Hitler. Notice how normalized each step was as reported in the media. 

"How the opening of Nazi concentration camps, at that point for communists, was covered in the press:




Coverage of the camps' shifting function:




The beginning of the war and acceleration to genocide:





And this is how the New York Times reported it:

No comments: