This letter appears in the Daily Telegraph today, 25 August 2026:
Sir
Tony Greenstein, seemingly
endorsed by Gary Lineker, states as undisputed fact that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza (report,
August 24). But “genocide” is a precise
legal term, requiring proof of an intention to destroy, in whole or in part, a
protected group. It should not be treated as a synonym for a high civilian
death toll.
The demographic record is relevant
to any alleged genocidal intent. When Israel captured the Gaza Strip in 1967, a
census recorded about 355,000 residents. The latest Palestinian Central Bureau
of Statistics estimate puts Gaza’s population at about 2.11 million. The
population has therefore increased roughly sixfold since 1967. It is difficult
to reconcile this with the assertion that Israel’s aim has been the destruction
of the Palestinian people.
In fact Israel’s declared
objective since October 7, 2023 has been the defeat of Hamas, whose 1988
charter called for the destruction of Israel and contained virulently
antisemitic language. Hamas’s extensive military infrastructure, including its
tunnel network, was embedded within a densely populated civilian
environment, making military operations extremely hazardous for civilians.
This is why the number of Palestinian deaths cannot
establish genocidal intent.
It is positively denied by Col.
Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, who said
during the Gaza conflict: “The IDF is also operating within the laws of
armed conflict, doing its best to minimise civilian casualties, including by
warning people to leave areas it is about to attack.”
Nor should Gaza casualty figures
be treated as infallible. The records of the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry
of Health have been subject to methodological criticism and, it is
now accepted, require careful interpretation.
The charge of genocide deserves
evidence and argument, not constant assertion in the hope that the
aphorism often attributed to
Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, will prevail: “If
you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to
believe it.”
Published in the Daily Telegraph titled: "Israel's intent in Gaza":
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026/08/25/letters-paralysing-effect-public-sector-productivity-crisis/
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