Israel incited genocide in Gaza; Bibi, top officials to blame: UN
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Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only BenefitsA United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts — accusations that Israel called “scandalous”.
The UN report cites examples of the scale of the killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding.
“Today, we witness in real time how the promise of ‘never again’ is broken and tested in the eyes of the world. The ongoing genocide in Gaza is a moral outrage and a legal emergency,” Navi Pillay, head of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said.
“The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, called the report “scandalous” and “fake”, saying it had been authored by “Hamas proxies”.
‘Gaza is burning’
Israel’s minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said Gaza was “burning” as Palestinians there described the most intense bombardment they had faced in two years of war.