Did you ever hear of the “International Association of Genocide Scholars” (IAGS)?
Personally I didn’t…until I read that it voted to declare Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide”, and that media around the world were letting their readers/viewers in on this vote.
So who are these people?
Well, the organization’s title clearly sugggests its membership is comprised of learned scholars who are experts in genocide. So they must know what they’re talking about, right?
Except…
…before you buy into that premise, I suggest you read this, from Alex Griffing’s article at mediaite.com (the bold print is mine):
Controversy erupted this week over the International Association of Genocide Scholars’ recent vote to declare that “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide,” and include “crimes against humanity,” and “war crimes.”
The declaration was made after a vote of the IAGS’s membership on a resolution that included that specific wording and was quickly picked up by media outlets across the globe. The IAGS said at the time that 86 percent of its 500-person membership voted to back the three-page resolution.
The BBC covered the vote under the headline, “Israel committing genocide in Gaza, world’s leading experts say,” while Reuters blared, “Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, scholars’ association says.” The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, including innocent civilians, with the Hamas-linked Health Ministry saying the death toll has passed 64,000.
Since the Monday declaration, however, several pro-Israel activists have noted that anyone could sign up to join the organization of experts, and the IAGS website solicited membership for as little as $30 to everyone from “human rights activists” to “artists” to “independent scholars.”
The Times of Israel also reported that some of the pro-Israel activists made “fake” accounts to try and understand if the IAGS did vet its membership in any way beyond accepting payment. The Times of Israel reported:
A number of pro-Israel activists said they had joined the group, while others set up prank accounts.
One activist signed up as “Adolf Hitler” and joined the association’s women’s caucus and indigenous caucus. Others signed up as the Star Wars character Emperor Palpatine, the Cookie Monster, or set up accounts for their pet dogs.
In other words, the IAGS is a complete BS organization that has about as much credibility for it’s knowledge of genocide as J. B. Pritzker has as a weight loss consultant.
But that didn’t stop international media from touting the IAGS vote on genocide, did it?
Nope. Run with the attack on Israel first, ask questions later.
This is what Israel deals with every day. Let’s never forget that.
