My relative defined ‘genocide,’ honoring him means scrutinizing Pillay’s Israel findings - opinion

Joseph Lemkin, a relative of Raphael Lemkin who coined the term genocide, argues that a serious defense of international law requires scrutiny of Navi Pillay's UN commission finding that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. He insists the term must remain anchored in evidence and law, and that challenging the accusation does not require declaring every military action lawful.

Joseph Lemkin, a relative of Raphael Lemkin who coined the term genocide and helped draft the Genocide Convention, argues that a serious defense of international law requires scrutiny of Navi Pillay's UN commission finding that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. He insists the term must remain anchored in evidence and law, and that challenging the accusation does not require declaring every military action lawful. He notes that the distinction between a commission's finding and a court's judgment matters, and that an investigative report is not the same as a judicial determination. He also warns against collective blame, stating that an accusation against a government must not become an accusation against a people.