Zinaida Miller

I've written a short piece contrasting dueling genocide discussions: the crucial one about catastrophic atrocity in Gaza and the specious one wielded to punish pro-Palestine advocates and displace attention from the first lrb.co.uk/blog/2023/dece…

lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/nove… My latest.

Ezra Klein's interview with Philippe Sands is very good overall. But I want to reiterate that the ICJ has never said that the definition of genocide requires a "single intent." Nor does the ICJ's standard of proof preclude a finding of genocide in cases of plural intent. 1/🧵

Prof. of Law & International Affairs @ZinaidaMiller discusses the recognition of a Palestinian state from Britain and Canada. Read Prof. Miller’s op-ed in the@nytimes: nytimes.com/2025/08/06/opi…

Until these states take real steps like suspending trade relations and sanctioning Israel, recognition will remain little more than a distraction from Western complicity in Gaza’s catastrophe. 5/5

This is an old story, barely rewritten for an age of genocide. Today, Western states are making absurd demands of a people whose population and infrastructure are being systematically destroyed while demanding far less of those engineering the destruction. 4/5

As Israel plans to complete its conquest of Gaza and continues its annexation of the West Bank, Western leaders fall back on old patterns. In a new piece, I place recent recognition announcements in their broader context. 1/5 nytimes.com/2025/08/06/opi…

Excellent piece ⁦by @ZinaidaMiller⁩ nytimes.com/2025/08/06/opi…

A powerful opinion piece by @ZinaidaMiller on the pitfalls of recognition The Promise of Palestinian Statehood Is Ringing Hollow nytimes.com/2025/08/06/opi… via @NYTOpinion

"There is no one to stop it, and we must stop it."

Useful explainer on recognition of Palestinian statehood with good quotes from @ArdiImseis and others. nytimes.com/2025/07/29/wor… v

Israel’s balancing act – maintaining starvation while avoiding famine in Gaza – cannot last indefinitely. crisisgroup.org/middle-east-no…

This week, my Somerville constituent Rümeysa Öztürk was abducted in broad daylight by DHS officials and sent to Louisiana to be locked in a detention center. She has not been charged with any crime. The video of her kidnapping is harrowing. Plainclothes officers wearing masks surrounded her, grabbed her by the wrists, took her phone away, and handcuffed her before taking her away in a vehicle. She was on her way to break her Ramadan fast, so I can only imagine how hungry and afraid she was. She also does not have her asthma medications with her—a human rights violation. This is unacceptable and she must be released immediately and have her visa restored NOW. Rümeysa is a peaceful protestor, a graduate student at Tufts University passionate about education, and my constituent who has a constitutional right to free speech and due process. She was here legally on a student visa, before it was unjustly revoked, and making numerous positive contributions to the Tufts and #MA7 community. This administration is terrorizing students to silence dissent because that’s what a dictator does. And the only reason she was kidnapped is because she has a dissenting political view, different from Donald Trump’s. That’s it. This should be a five-alarm fire for anyone who cares about free speech and our democracy — regardless of your political party, ideology, or opinion on Israel, Palestine, or any other issue. This is an assault on the core tenets of our democracy. It’s unlawful, unjust, and authoritarian, and every person of conscience should be outraged and alarmed. Because if they can do it to her, they can do it to anyone else. Please share her story and join us in demanding this Administration respect the Constitution and release Rümeysa NOW. #FreeRümeysaÖztürk

I agree with @FranceskAlbs These absurd AI generated fantasies about Gaza serve an important psychological function by normalizing a narrative of genocide and mass expulsion. Social media is that sewer that we cannot escape from easily but must still resist.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are meeting on Tuesday. The US will remain complicit in Israel’s atrocities in Gaza so long as it continues to provide Israel with arms. Read more: bit.ly/3CwoEET

"We have been driving for the last 10 minutes and I havn't seen a single building standing" Gloria Lazic from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs speaking from Jabalia refugee camp.

The consequences of the Israeli Parliament’s ban on UNRWA operations would be catastrophic for #PalestineRefugees. The legislation must not be implemented. "It's going to be impossible to continue the humanitarian operation in #Gaza without UNRWA," @JulietteTouma emphasises to @UN_News_Centre

This is truly shameful of @Columbia. They fired @ProfKFranke. @AAUP stands with Professor Franke and against this repression of pro-Palestinian speech. academeblog.org/2025/01/10/sta…

The IDF's own sickening 'Zone of Interest' in the heart of Gaza haaretz.com/opinion/2024-1….