I am a reasonably intelligent person. I know demonization of Israel when I see it.
With a set of Mt. Rushmore-worthy sentences, including the one quoted in this article's title, Brown University professor Omer Bartov pronounces the definitive, take it to the bank judgment on what he terms the nefarious conduct of Israel and the IDF.
His destined -for-immortality words were set down in a NY Times op-ed the other day. Of course, the Times could not have been more pleased to bear the witness to such profundity.
What is it that Bartov has seen? For all his words, it seems to come down to a take away that there must be genocidal intent in all of Israel’s actions in Gaza. After all, people have been moved around and buildings have been knocked down. And yes, Virginia, in a war people get killed.
But there is a leap from the horrors of war to the intent, not to mention the actuality of committing genocide, neither of which exist. And for all his finger pointing, it is hard to see it when he sees it.
Instead, what one sees, fairly clearly, is a hateful screed against Israel, carrying no awareness, let alone judgment of Hamas. It is a piece that instead tries really hard to find the very worst intentions and actions in all that Israel has done in Gaza.
In the Rorschach test that is the Gaza war, Bartov has chosen to see only delusions of murderous, treacherous, genocidal behavior in all that Israel has done.
He has succeeded in crafting a truly reprehensible piece.
Why is Bartov’s article so despicable? First of all, he seeks to burnish his credibility by touting his Israeli past. In this regard, he is like the despised “As an Israeli...” set, both individuals and organizations, that use an Israeli connection, however distant and spurned, to be a sign of their gravitas and veritas.
There is a veritable cottage industry in America of Israeli academics who choose to further their careers by moving abroad and then proceeding to bash Israel. They are welcomed, feted and honored for their “clarity” and “bravery.” After all, they are from Israel so they must know what they are talking about.
This exploitation of one’s background is analogous to the “As a Jew...” phenomenon used by the likes of IfNotNow and Jewish Voces for Peace, among others in the United States, who tout their Jewish connections in order to enhance their Progressive sanctimony by demonizing Israel.
More importantly, Bartov is completely wrong on the facts. If Israel were trying to commit genocide, it would not be evacuating areas, sending warnings, providing humanitarian aid, and endangering its own soldiers in the name of minimizing the consequences to Gazan civilians.
War is horrific. But moving people around and knocking down buildings is not genocide.
The irony of course is that Hamas IS genocidal. October 7th is so seared into our consciousness, not only because of the mass number of murders, but also because of the spirit and intent in which the murders, rapes and tortures were carried out.
-When a Hamas terrorist calls his mother to gloat that he has killed 10 Jews, and she blesses him and tells him to continue, then that becomes Exhibit A for genocidal intent.
-When Hamas hides behind civilians KNOWING that the Israelis will be that much more reluctant to attack them, that is also disregard for their own to the point of genocidal intent.
Where is the outcry about this? You can hear a pin drop when you bring up the subject. No one talks about it.
If Bartov were really concerned about genocide and not demonization of Israel, he would be writing about the current, as we speak, attempt to eradicate the Druze in southern Syria by the new Syrian (call it ISIS) regime.
These have been attacks of horrific ferocity that have engendered zero pushback nor condemnation except by Israel.
Of course, in the siloed world of social media, few people even know about these horrific attacks. However, thanks to the omniscience of Omer Bartov and his like-minded observers, Israel’s "crimes" are on full display.
Bartov is just another peddler of double standards and hypocrisy. He has an agenda, and it’s called the delegitimization of Israel. It is up to us to know when we are seeing false and hateful vilifying and to call it when we see it.
Douglas Altabef is the Chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu and a Director of the Israel Independence Fund.