Genocide in Gaza – the case against denial
JVL Introduction
On 1st December 2025 the Glasgow Herald published an article entitled Genocide in Gaza? The law, the facts and the myths behind the claim.
Its author was the Sammy Stein of Glasgow Friends of Israel, described by the paper as “a prominent member of Glasgow’s Jewish community”. Also of Glasgow Friends of Israel…
It is classic case of hasbara, crafted to cast doubt on the allegations of genocide and, indeed, the bona fides of those who believe that the evidence of genocide is already overwhelming.
Zohra Adler, another Jewish resident in Glasgow, sent a reasoned response to the Glasgow Herald.
Six weeks after Stein’s original article appeared Adler’s response has not yet been published.
We are therefore posting it below so that Stein’s argument does not go unanswered and the Herald’s shameful failure to publish this rebuttal does not go unnoticed.
RK
Letter to the Glasgow Herald
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to an article by Sammy Stein of Glasgow Friends of Israel, published in The Glasgow Herald in early December 2025. Mr Stein argues that allegations of genocide in Gaza misuse the term by failing to demonstrate intent. On the available public evidence, this claim is no longer sustainable.
Under the UN Genocide Convention, genocidal intent (dolus specialis) does not require a single formal declaration. It may be inferred from a consistent pattern of statements, policies, and conduct that demonstrate an aim to destroy a protected group, in whole or in part. In the case of Gaza, that pattern is now well established.
Senior Israeli political and military figures have repeatedly used dehumanising language toward Palestinians, described Gazans as “human animals,” called for Gaza to be “erased,” advocated mass displacement, and invoked biblical references historically associated with total destruction. These statements are not isolated or marginal. They are numerous, sustained, and made by those responsible for directing military policy. As such, they are directly relevant to any assessment of intent.
This rhetoric has been matched by conduct: large-scale civilian deaths; widespread destruction of homes, hospitals, universities, and essential infrastructure; the obstruction of food, water, electricity, and medical care; and policies that have rendered Gaza effectively uninhabitable. International law assesses such actions together with expressed aims and foreseeable consequences. Where outcomes are repeatedly predicted, acknowledged, and nevertheless pursued, intent may properly be inferred.
Mr Stein’s article does not meaningfully address this evidentiary record. Instead, it places emphasis on the absence of a final ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), creating the impression that claims of genocide lack legal foundation. This is misleading. The ICJ has not yet ruled on the merits of South Africa’s case, and its proceedings remain ongoing. The absence of a final judgment does not negate the substantial body of evidence already available.
Moreover, other authoritative bodies have reached explicit conclusions. In September 2025, the UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Independent UN experts, Human Rights Council mechanisms, and major human rights organisations—including Amnesty International, B’Tselem, and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel—have published detailed reports concluding that Israel’s actions meet the legal criteria for genocide, including intent. These findings represent a significant body of expert analysis that readers deserve to be made aware of.
Mr Stein also repeats the claim that Gaza’s population has increased during the war, suggesting this undermines allegations of genocide. This claim has been widely challenged and is based on pre-war population projections that did not account for mass casualties, displacement, or migration. Current assessments indicate that the number of Gazans alive today is lower than before October 2023. In any event, population size is not determinative of genocide under international law.
Equally significant is the collapse in life expectancy. A Lancet study published in February 2025 found that life expectancy in Gaza fell by more than 30 years during the first 12 months of the war—nearly halving pre-war levels. Harm on this scale is neither incidental nor unforeseeable, and its continuation despite repeated international warnings further strengthens the inference of intent.
Public concern about Gaza is not driven by emotionalism, but by sustained engagement with legal standards, official statements, and observable outcomes. When destructive intent is repeatedly articulated, its consequences are foreseeable, and when the conduct producing those consequences persists, it is reasonable—and evidence-based—to conclude that genocidal intent has been established.
Yours sincerely,
Zohra Adler
(Jewish resident of Glasgow for the past 25 years)
So sorry Zohra’s splendid letter wasn’t published as it should have been.
Is it still possible for other local newsletters / websites to publish Zohra’s letter (alongside the original “Glasgow Herald” article) together with pointed snippets from other local VIPs asking why GH chose to put ONLY ONE SIDE of the argument? And why GH ignored the demands of balanced coverage in this case? Are some of the local VIPs people such heavyweights – academically, legally or in terms of political reputation – as to be able to destroy Stein’s arguments so completely he won’t wish to put them again?
If Zohra and friends seek the help of the local reference library the librarian there will probably have a useful directory of both local and national publications large and small, together with their contact details, size of audience, willingness to receive what type of material and so on. Way back in ancient history there was the BRAD Directory (I think I’ve got the name right) – it’ll have successors.
Hooray for Zohar, and shame on Glasgow Herald. I had never heard of this particular “prominent member” of the community in my 30+ years living and working in Glasgow. Perhaps I travelled in the wrong circles.
Claims of genocide are legal allegations, not rhetorical devices. They require proof of intent and action as defined under international law.
No such proof exists in relation to Gaza.
While some Israeli political and military figures have used dehumanising language toward Palestinians—language that should be condemned—rhetoric does not constitute genocide. The crime is established by demonstrable intent to destroy a protected group, not by offensive or reckless speech.
Ms Adler cites “authoritative” bodies she claims have concluded that genocide is taking place. None of these bodies is legally empowered to make such a determination. Under international law, only competent judicial institutions can rule on genocide.
The sole court currently seized of the allegation is the International Court of Justice. South Africa brought its case to the ICJ explicitly seeking a declaration that genocide was occurring and an order compelling Israel to cease military operations in Gaza. The Court declined to issue such an order. It has not ruled on the merits and has not found that genocide has taken place.
On the contrary, Israel’s conduct—issuing mass civilian evacuation warnings, establishing humanitarian corridors, and facilitating aid deliveries, even while Hamas deliberately embeds itself among civilians—is fundamentally incompatible with genocidal intent.
Absent intent, genocide cannot exist.
Until a court of law rules otherwise, allegations of genocide in Gaza are not findings of fact but political assertions—and repeating them does not make them true.
I’m amazed Sammy Stein can write such nonsense given the almost total destruction of Gaza and a death toll that rises every day. If Israel didn’t intend to do this, did it happen by accident?
The dismissal of authorities on genocide is disturbing. Would there be such reticence if this were a Jewish population trapped in an enclave?
And the ICJ did order Israel to immediately halt its ‘military offensive’ in Rafah.
Sammy Stein is Chairman of Glasgow Friends of Israel, so it is no surprise that he can overlook numerous declarations of genocidal intent by Israeli government ministers.
Please disregard my previous reply – I did not read the article properly.