Israel’s war in Gaza isn’t genocide, but is it proportionate?

It is now almost three months since Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launched its ground invasion of Gaza, and it is time to ask some hard questions: Has it been proportional to the damage that Hamas inflicted on Israel? Has the Israeli military been careful to avoid civilian casualties? Was there another path?

I write this as a supporter of Israel, a country that I believe has been a remarkable success in an environment that was for decades deeply hostile toward it — and where some countries, such as Iran, remain opposed to its very existence. I am also dismayed and appalled by the rise of antisemitism across the world, which is a powerful reminder as to why Israel was founded.

This week, hearings at the International Court of Justice began to determine whether Israel’s government is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. I think the charge is invalid; there is no systematic effort to exterminate Gaza’s population. (If there were, given the vast disparity in power, Israel would surely have killed many more than 23,000 people, though that number is, of course, still staggeringly high. The death toll figure comes from the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.) Genocide is an incendiary accusation that should not be used loosely. Nevertheless, during these hearings, some deeply troubling facts might emerge about Israel’s bombing campaign.