US has seen no evidence that Israel has committed genocide, Austin says

[TheProle]

Source: Politico

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday rebuffed arguments that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, saying he’s seen no evidence to suggest it.

“We don’t have any evidence of genocide being [committed]” by Israel in Gaza, Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a budget hearing, where his testimony was interrupted several times by protesters.

Austin’s comments come as pressure builds on the Biden administration and Democrats over U.S. support for the conflict.

They also come after a committee member, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), said last week that international officials could determine that the war in Gaza legally constitutes genocide.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/09/us-has-seen-no-evidence-that-israel-has-committed-genocide-austin-says-00151241

[Bayard]

1. Seriously?

"Section 1091 of Title 18, United States Code, prohibits genocide whether committed in time of peace or time of war. Genocide is defined in § 1091 and includes violent attacks with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group."

[Happy Hoosier]

3. Useless definition.

Every war intends to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group at least in part.

[TheRealNorth]

5. Sure

The conduct of the IDF makes the Russian military look like humanitarians.

[maxsolomon]

7. You cannot be serious.

The US estimates there were 70K Ukrainian troops killed as of January. Almost 200K Russian dead is a common estimate. Civilian deaths are probably equal or greater than Gaza's 30K.

[Happy Hoosier]

9. I can't take that seriously.

The shark. You jumped it.

[ripcord]

4. Who are they destroying as a people?

Gaza is not separate from the.more heavily populated West Bank as a people

[Bayard]

6. I think they're leaving the destruction of Palestinians in the West Bank to Israeli, "settlers."

[Elessar Zappa]

10. If Israel was trying to destroy the Palestinians, they could've done it.

It wouldn’t be hard to destroy such a small area. What’s going on isn’t even close to matching the definition of genocide.

[Novara]

11. You don't need concentration camps and human ovens to commit genocide

People mistakenly assume genocide is Holocaust-level evil. It is not.

Everyone knows it's been Israel's long held dream to rid Gaza of Palestinians. They are doing exactly that. They are killing them, forcing them to leave their homes, and starving them, because they are Palestinians. That is genocide.

[SoFlaBro]

12. see genocide according to the fucking trajectory of activity. Left to it would the IDF eventually kill all Palestinians?

I'd say no. The intention is not to eliminate Palestinians. This is an aggressive and heavy-handed approach to the war but short of a genocide.

[womanofthehills]

16. A US Senator, Elizabeth Warren, just said it was genocide

Finally -

[onecaliberal]

2. Not a good look.

Why have we done this over the decades. We also refused to allow a ship with Jewish people into America when Hitler was trying to kill them.

[maxsolomon]

8. The Immigration Act of 1924 resulted in that refusal.

Christian Nationalism and Anti-Semitism was stronger then than now, if that's conceivable.

[BlueKota]

13. There is a book called

"The Terrible Secret," I will link it below. I read it in 1983 for a college class assignment.

It basically tells how much of the world knew what was going on in Hitler's Germany long before they admitted they knew including the U.S. and did nothing about it. It also tells about how the Jews in Italy pleaded with the Vatican to shelter them so Mussolini wouldn't have them transported to Germany. The Vatican's response is said to have been basically, "you killed Christ, you deserve what happens to you. I guess they forgot that Jesus reportedly said from the cross, "forgive them father, they know not what they do.

That book was one of the main reasons I vowed I would never have blind faith in any institution again.[link:https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31821332991&dest=usa&ref_=ps_ggl_18382194370&cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade0to10-_-product_id=COM9780140061369USED-_-keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwztOwBhD7ARIsAPDKnkCVin_o__7a6cI5kdt4l8yH6QoRU5zj3vdPr4WA7DGxRJN5MjvPawkaAk64EALw_wcB|

[onecaliberal]

14. Thank you! I'm gonna check it out.

I have been to the Museum of Tolerance in LA. many times. The Holocaust and Genocide exhibits are very powerful. Hours of video of Hitler and news reports. I’ve seen three survivor talks in person there as well. Harrowing and absolutely heartbreaking.

[ripcord]

15. Does this book have any information on the St Louis?

The ship load of Jewish refugees the US refused to accept in 1939?

[BlueKota]

17. I can't remember

The part I remember about the U.S. was the government was given intelligence about what was happening way earlier than they ever acknowledged. Then feigned shock later on when the death camps became public knowledge.