A reader recently announced in the Viewpoints section [Jan. 17] that he no longer supports Kina Collins for Congress because she referred to Israel’s assault on Gaza as genocide. I believe Kina’s deep understanding of issues and fierce commitment to taking action is exactly what is needed in Congress.
Her words and deeds in supporting a ceasefire over the last three months stand in stark contrast to Danny Davis’ persistent refusal to heed his constituents and join over 60 of his Congressional colleagues in calling for a ceasefire.
The writer’s objection is that Kina uses the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza for more than three months. Genocide is a strong charge which has a very specific definition that includes both acts and intent.
Three of the articles of the Genocide Convention, a set of international treaties established after World War II and the Holocaust, include “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
If Israel’s acts in Gaza fall into this definition, are they acts of self-defense or that crude construct, “collateral damage”? Over 26,000 people killed, the vast majority women and children, destruction of 70% of homes, hospitals, schools, and places of worship, etc. [1]
The other component of genocide is intent. Are these actions being taken deliberately?
Leaders of the Israeli government have spoken to this:
Nissim Vaturi, Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, called to “wipe Gaza off the face of the earth.” He called for the “elimination” of the estimated 100,000 Palestinians left in northern Gaza. “I have no mercy for those who are still there. We need to eliminate them.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said, “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.” [2]
Does calling out Israel for genocide shield Hamas from accountability for its crimes on Oct. 7? Of course not. And Ms. Collins, in her official statement of Oct. 16, made her position on this clear, saying, “I condemn the actions of Hamas and the violence brought to Israeli families who have lost innocent loved ones.”
As Ken Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022) and visiting professor at Princeton’s School for Public and International Affairs points out, Hamas’ conduct should be examined for the commission of war crimes, but the relevant international legal body that could investigate is the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Israel has banned its prosecutor from Gaza because the ICC could prosecute Israeli officials as well. [3]
In my time spent in Israel and Palestine (Oct. 9 to Nov. 10) volunteering as a “protective presence,” I witnessed the ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people in the West Bank. But the scale of the onslaught on Gaza, in reaction to Hamas’ heinous attack on Oct. 7, takes this to a new level, which must be named and opposed.
In my efforts to support a ceasefire in Gaza, I have had a chance to discuss this issue with Kina. Her moral clarity and willingness to lead in ending unconditional support for Israel’s policies is one of the many reasons that she is my choice for U.S. Representative in the 7th District.
[1] Wall Street Journal, 1/30.23 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gaza-destruction-bombing-israel-aa528542
[3] The Guardian, 1/12/2024 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/13/south-africa-israel-genocide-the-hague
Rebekah Levin is a resident of Oak Park.
