The Israeli Bombardment of Gaza and Genocide w/ Raz Segal

On this edition of Parallax Views, we return after a Christmas break to continue coverage of the Gaza War and Israel/Palestine. In recent days Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, and publications like The Jerusalem Post have talked about plans for a "voluntary migration" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and trying to get other countries in the region to "absorb" displaced Gazans. As comments like these continue to be made and the bombing of Gaza goes on, destroying the 25-mile strip of land and its infrastructure, Palestinians warn that this all amounts to a second Nakba, referencing the 1948 expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and society.

Before the holidays, I spoke with Holocaust and genocide studies scholar Raz Segal, an Israeli historian, about a piece that he wrote in October 2023 for Jewish Currents entitled "A Textbook Case of Genocide". Segal argues that Israel's action in Gaza do, in fact, amount to a genocidal assault on Gaza and that multiple statements from various Israeli officials shows the intent. This conversation should be especially relevant in light of Netanyahu's most recent statements. We discuss international law, Prof. Dov Waxman's criticism of Raz's Jewish Current piece, misunderstandings of what genocide is, settler colonialism, other genocides and ethnic cleansings in history, the protests against Israel's current approach to Gaza, and much, much more.