If killing children isn't considered a crime of monstrous proportions, then our civilization isn't worth saving.
“No one in Gaza is innocent. Yes, even the children will have to be killed. No other choice…Because they are the children of those who want to harm us. They are all enemies like the Nazis.” -Michal Waldiger, Israeli MP.
The crime of genocide isn't simply on how many people you kill. It is the intent. For over 19 months, Israeli politicians and media figures have openly called for the annihilation of the people of Gaza. They have publicly expressed the intent to either kill or forcibly displace millions of people. They have not hidden any of their plans. In fact, they boast about it, joke about it, write about it, sing about it, make TikTok videos about it. And they have done it.
Gaza has all but been reduced to dust. Tens of thousands of people have been blown up, maimed, burned and buried under rubble. Hospitals, shelters, tents, bakeries, water treatment facilities, mosques, churches, universities... All have been targeted. All have been bombed. Now, most of the population is facing starvation due to a blockade imposed by Israel. And all this has been made possible thanks to ammunition, tactical support and diplomatic cover from the US, UK, Germany and other Western countries. All are complicit.
Only diehard apologists without a shred of decency or conscience left or those actually committing the crimes continue to deny this is genocide. Most experts on genocide have stated that Israel is committing genocide. Doctors, surgeons, nurses and paramedics have testified to this fact. The UN, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem and several other groups have said this is a genocide. And we have our own eyes and ears to see it for what it is.
But regardless of how some want us to quibble over definitions and terms, if calling for the killing of children isn't considered a crime of monstrous proportions, then our civilization isn't worth saving.
Kenn Orphan, May 2025
