The Genocide Scholars’ Resolution on Gaza–Implications for International Law and Western Legitimacy
On August 2025, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS)—the most authoritative academic body in the field of genocide studies—adopted a landmark resolution declaring that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide as defined under the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. This resolution, endorsed by 86 percent of the world’s leading genocide scholars, represents a pivotal moment not only for international jurisprudence but also for the political credibility of Western governments that continue to deny the genocidal nature of Israel’s policies. The full resolution can be accessed here. The Authority of the IAGS Resolution The International Association of Genocide Scholars occupies a unique position in global human rights discourse. Its membership has historically provided the intellectual and evidentiary framework for recognizing and codifying genocides, including those in Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, and the Armenian case. When such a body concludes that a state’s actions satisfy the legal definition of genocide, it cannot be dismissed as mere political rhetoric. The resolution makes two unequivocal declarations: That Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide under Article II of the Genocide Convention (1948). That Israel’s conduct also constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity under international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Furthermore, the resolution underscores the convergence of findings by major human rights organizations—including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Forensic Architecture, DAWN, and Physicians for Human Rights—as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The epistemic […]