Viewpoint |Mamdani challenges U.S. on its promise of "never gain"

Many prominent opponents of Zohran Mamdani's candidacy for mayor of New York City, including Rabbi Alan Cook of Champaign, have claimed that Mamdani is falsely accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

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by Terry Hansen
      Guest Commentary

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Recently, many prominent opponents of Zohran Mamdani's candidacy for mayor of New York City, including Rabbi Alan Cook of Champaign, have claimed that Mamdani is falsely accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

However, Israeli Holocaust and genocide researchers — Amos Goldberg, Omer Bartov, Daniel Blatman, Raz Segal and Shmuel Lederman — have all identified Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. Goldberg asserts:

"What is happening in Gaza is genocide because the level and pace of indiscriminate killing, destruction, mass expulsions, displacement, famine, executions, the wiping out of cultural and religious institutions...and the sweeping dehumanization of the Palestinians — create an overall picture of genocide, of a deliberate conscious crushing of Palestinian existence in Gaza."

Other genocide scholars who have reached this conclusion include Martin Shaw, author of the book What is Genocide?; Melanie O'Brien, president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars; and Dirk Moses, senior editor of the Journal of Genocide Research.

The United Nations Genocide Convention placed prevention at the center of international law. By rejecting credible evidence of genocide, the U.S. is betraying its promise of "never again."

Terry Hansen is a retired educator who writes frequently about climate change. He lives in Milwaukee, WI.

TAGS:International law preventing genocide, United State betrays its promise, Palestinians are being execute and killed indiscriminately, Genocide researchers say Israel's action is genocide.