Omar Shahabudin McDoom

As a genocide scholar, I have tried to understand the arguments I have read for why Israel’s conduct in Gaza does not constitute genocide. I struggle. The counter-arguments are not difficult. Here are 8 arguments I've heard and what I think in response. 1/n

@DXW_KC International law does already protect civilians victimized by their own governments. It’s called the Responsibility to Protect. Although its status is not legally binding, it is of enormous normative significance and is cited - sadly selectively - in UN humanitarian docs.

I disagree with Lord Hermer KC, the Attorney General. I don’t accept that international law requires our Prime Minister to deliver a pusillanimous statement setting out the UK’s position whose first point is “We did not participate”. I’ve set out the gist of my approach below. ⬇️   The Prime Minister has refused publicly to support the US and Israel strikes, and also refuses to allow the US to use UK bases, because of international law advice he has reportedly received from Lord Hermer.   International law ought to provide a mechanism to restrain and, if necessary, end despotic and tyrannical regimes such as that in Iran. If the doctrines of international law prove unable to restrain Iranian terrorism and mass murder, and tie the hands of democracies while forcing them to stand and watch Iranian atrocities, international law will have failed. It will have become a fundamentally immoral system of law, and one which is worse than worthless in the modern world.   To be clear: I don’t believe that it is. I think international law is important, and both can and should provide a just legal order. I do, however, have serious questions as to the moral attitudes of some of its expositors; too many international lawyers serenely promote an analysis which ultimately protects tyrants.   Seven points, and some questions:   1 The inherent right to use force in the face of an imminent attack from a hostile nation which is responsible for a pattern of hostile actions exists for good reason: a country cannot be expected to remain idle and just wait for the next attack.   2 Iran has repeatedly threatened to attack the UK’s bases and personnel. Those threats come in the context of persistent Iranian attempts to launch attacks on UK soil, too; the Director General of MI5 has stated, and the PM confirmed last night, that the UK has responded to tens of Iranian-backed plots, presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents. There is also a constant barrage of cyberattacks; while not all cyberattacks are armed attacks in sense of Article 51 of the UN Charter, some may be, and all confirm not just hostile intent but action pursuant to such intent.   3 The UK’s long-standing allies, the US and Israel, were right to consider that they faced further attacks prior to their recent military action, given that (i) Iran has previously attacked both states directly and also through its many proxies; (ii) Iran has repeatedly stated its intent to destroy Israel; (iii) Iran was assessed to be on the brink of acquiring a nuclear capability with uranium enrichment at 60% (which can only be for military use); and (iv) Iran already possessed – as demonstrated by its recent attacks – a sophisticated and effective long-range delivery capability which Israel cannot fully neutralise with defensive weapons.   4 The acquisition of a nuclear capability by Iran represents a genocidal risk for Israel and its people. Iran’s repeatedly stated aim is to wipe the State of Israel, and its inhabitants, off the face of the earth. The slogan of the proxies through which Iran has often attacked Israel is: “God is greater, death to America, death to Israel, curse to the Jews, victory to Islam”. In these circumstances, whether they are characterised as part of an ongoing armed conflict with Iran or as a new use of force based on self-defence, Israel’s actions are justifiable.   5 The UK (and also the US) is permitted under international law to use force to aid another state which is acting in self-defence. Moreover, the UK is under an obligation in international law is to prevent genocide, not just to stop it: stopping an on-going genocide is required, but it necessarily means that action was taken too late. 1/2

For those interested in the rapidly-evolving debate on the question of genocide in Gaza, this piece just came out: "It’s Hamas’ Fault, You’re an Antisemite, and We Had No Choice": Techniques of Genocide Denial in Gaza tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

As a student at LSE in the 1960s I was involved in protests over Rhodesia which led to ill-conceived disciplinary action that was eventually overturned. Now I & others are supporting today’s students suspended for peaceful protest over Gaza, explained here tribunemag.co.uk/2024/11/the-st…

As the tweet says, we are proud to see the Journal of Genocide Research’s 2023 ranking is now 59/317 in Political Science with an Impact Factor of 2.6. This score would make it the highest impact journal in History were it still listed there. Credit to Dirk Moses, senior editor.

All eyes on LSE Council voting on #divestment. @LSENews has been given a mandate and opportunity to align its investments with international law, human rights and its own ethical standards. See the Assets in Apartheid Report: shorturl.at/Gza6K. #LSEDivest #LSECouncil

@bluejaysocial @FranceskAlbs And what is a terrorist to you? Under intl law, people subject to “colonial domination, alien occupation, and racist regimes” have the right to use force - within the rules of war - to end their subjugation. Are such people terrorists?

@omarmcdoom @FranceskAlbs One Israeli life is worth more than all the terrorist life in Gaza. Next.

The #Nuseirat massacre will go down in history as one of the most appalling examples of disdain for Palestinian life in one of the most well-documented and boasted about genocides in history. Although it can't be of any solace for the Palestinian people enduring genocide, the tide has turned. Israel's war on the Palestinians—rooted in their very indigeneity—is now fully exposed. Justice will knock on the doors of the perpetrators and their accomplices. The sycophants committed to whitewash Israel's crimes, while vilifying advocates for justice, will have what they deserve: oblivion, in the dustbin of history.

@FranceskAlbs Stand strong Francesca. These are the tactics of those who know they do wrong and who seek to silence those who speak out.

Like all other Special Rapporteurs, I perform my duties without financial compensation to preserve my independence. I have never got paid for anything I have done in this capacity. In the past months, I have even been subsisting on personal & family savings to dedicate all my energies to this role at a time of unprecedented urgency in the oPt. I have also waived contract fees & royalties for the book I published in 2023 & refuse payment for lectures I deliver all over the world. My external research team is also volunteering their time to support my work. One university has fundraised for my special assistant's fellowship and so far, only received private donations to cover her travel expenses. This is known to the UN and verifiable. UN Watch’s accusations are completely unsubstantiated and aim to distract from Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign. I refuse to allow my work to be diminished by any forms of intimidation. Today, like every day, I remain faithful to my mandate to find a path to dignity, justice and peace for all in Palestine. Meanwhile: #Israel has just bombed a UN school in Gaza, reportedly killing over 40 Palestinians who were seeking shelter. And #Spain has announced that it will join South Africa's proceedings before the @CIJ_ICJ. #StopGenocideIn_Gaza #CeasefireNOWPermanently

Yet another atrocity crime by Netanyahu credibly documented. Would he do this to residential buildings in Tel Aviv if Hezbollah militants were inside? It is the double standard in the valuation of civilian lives that belies the claims the IDF is the world’s most moral army.

Historic moment. ICC Prosecutor requests warrants for Israeli leaders for war crimes in Gaza. Finally, a step toward ending Israel's impunity for violating international law. And a warning to other states who think their democratic credentials exempt them from scrutiny. Brace for claims of anti-semitism and blood libel against Karim Khan. And all manner of threats and pressure from Washington. ft.com/content/878193… via @ft

Credit to LSE students building a coalition and consensus for the university to divest of companies complicit in atrocity crimes in the OPT.

@NimerSultany makes several superbly insightful points in this second piece in our journal’s forum on Gaza and IHL.

With the world’s attention on Gaza and Ukraine, atrocity crimes being committed elsewhere go unnoticed all too often. HRW continues to shine a light on those forgotten wars. Here’s an excellent report on the Sudan’s Darfur region.

Astonishing threats from 12 US senators targeting ICC staff AND their families if the ICC investigates members of Netanyahu’s government for possible war crimes. Is there still a doubt in anyone’s mind regarding the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in US politics?

At the Journal of Genocide Research, we invited international legal scholars - with different positionalities - to offer their view on the current situation in Israel & the OPT. Here is the first. Genocide and Resistance in Palestine under Law’s Shadow. doi.org/10.1080/146235…

Quite a statement by the International Criminal Court, asking that they stop being "intimidated" and "threatened" (no brownie point for guessing by whom...) We can only imagine the pressure they must be under... And those threats are real: remember that the US has a law colloquially known as the "Hague Invasion Act", that authorizes the president of the U.S. "to use all means necessary to bring about the release of any person described in subsection (b) who is being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court" (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_…). And a reminder that starting in 2019 the US DID implemented sanctions and travel restrictions against ICC employees engaged in investigating potential allied war crimes in Afghanistan. As part of this the ICC's Chief Prosecutor at the time, Fatou Bensouda, and the Head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity, and Cooperation Division, Phakiso Mochochoko, were both subjected to asset freezes and travel bans!

@premium 2 issues. First, I can’t compose a longer tweet. It tells me I have exceeded the character limit. Second, I have noticed that I had one post whose metrics appear to have inexplicably changed. It initially had 2.4M impressions & 12K reposts. Now, it is 2M and 10.8K.

The greater irony @Ayaan is that Israel, once seen as a safe haven for Jews, is now one of the least safe places in the world for them. Is this really just the fault of armed Palestinian groups or could Netanyahu’s policies towards Palestinians have something to do with it?

“It is not that the regime does not believe in liberty and equality; it is simply that it unashamedly prioritises security over both.” Rwanda’s state-building model other African autocrats envy. Shades of Netanyahu’s Israel. My take in The Conversation: tinyurl.com/dvnvkbt2

In this piece I ask whether “prosemitism” and “prosemitic bias” should be recognised as a phenomenon as real as “antisemitism” and “antisemitic bias”.

In this case in relation to supposedly impartial expert commentary from genocide scholars following the 7 October attack.