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I'm a War Scholar. There Is No Genocide in Gaza

(X) Maj. (ret.) John Spencer - In his New York Times July 15 op-ed titled "I'm a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It," Omer Bartov accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. As a professor of genocide studies, he should know better. Genocide is defined by specific intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group in whole or in part. Bartov did not even try to meet that high legal bar. I am a war expert. I have led soldiers in combat. I have trained military units in urban warfare for decades and studied and taught military history, strategy, and the laws of war for years. Since Oct. 7, I have been to Gaza four times. I have interviewed dozens of commanders and soldiers on the front lines. I have reviewed their orders, watched their targeting process, and seen soldiers take real risks to avoid harming civilians. Nothing I have seen or studied resembles genocide or genocidal intent. Bartov claims that statements by Israeli leaders prove genocidal intent. He begins with Prime Minister Netanyahu's comment on Oct. 7 that Hamas would "pay a huge price." That is not a call for genocide. It is what any leader would say after the worst terrorist attack in the nation's history. Israel has taken extraordinary steps to limit civilian harm. It warns before attacks using text messages, phone calls, leaflets, and broadcasts. It opens safe corridors and pauses operations so civilians can leave combat areas. It tracks civilian presence down to the building level. I have seen missions delayed or canceled because children were nearby. I have seen Israeli troops come under fire and still be ordered not to shoot back because civilians might be harmed. Israel has delivered more humanitarian aid to Gaza than any military in history has provided to an enemy population during wartime. Israel has supported hospitals, repaired water pipelines, increased access to clean water, and enabled over 36,000 patients to leave Gaza for treatment abroad. No military operation is judged solely by body counts. If we used Bartov's logic, every major war would be called genocide. War is destructive and ugly. But it is not automatically a crime. Nations must follow the rules of distinction, proportionality, and take all possible care to avoid civilian harm. Israel is doing that. I have seen it. What is happening in Gaza is tragic. But it is not genocide. And it is not illegal. The writer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.
2025-07-24 00:00:00
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