Israel's War Against Hamas - Updates

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Belgian philosopher, Maarten Boudry's essay: "They Don’t Believe It Either: The Gaza Genocide as Ideological Performance" (Oct 21, 2025), points out that accusations of "genocide" lack evidence and function as an ideological performance on the left, similar to the "stolen election" claim on the American right.

Section I: Misinterpretations of Israeli Statements.
In the first section, Boudry examines alleged genocidal rhetoric by Israeli officials. He debunks the claim that Netanyahu's reference to "Amalek" was a call for Palestinian annihilation, noting it comes from Deuteronomy recalling an ancient ambush and serves as a Jewish cultural motif for remembering persecution—appearing on Holocaust memorials in The Hague and Yad Vashem. Critics persist in this interpretation despite corrections.

Boudry cites other distortions:

• Selective editing of Yoav Gallant's speech to omit references to eliminating Hamas
• Misattributing "human animals" to Palestinians rather than Hamas
• Fabricated or mistranslated threats
• Omitting clarifying remarks by President Herzog affirming innocent Palestinians are not targets and expressing regret for their suffering

He notes that abhorrent statements by fringe Israeli figures lack decision-making power and do not establish intent, unlike explicit chains of command required for genocide.

Section II: Lack of Evidence on the Ground.
In the second section, Boudry argues there is no evidence of genocidal intent in IDF actions. Israel's measures—such as evacuation warnings, humanitarian aid deliveries, pauses, polio vaccinations, and AI for minimizing civilian harm—are inconsistent with extermination goals. Casualties, per Hamas figures, are predominantly fighting-age males, and Israel sacrificed soldiers in ground operations to avoid indiscriminate bombing.

High civilian tolls stem from Hamas's strategy of using human shields, embedding in civilian sites, and soliciting casualties for propaganda, while building tunnels only for fighters. Boudry acknowledges Israeli errors, like aid blockades and mismanagement leading to chaos, but maintains these do not meet the UN genocide definition requiring intent to destroy a group.

He contrasts this with Allied WWII bombings, which were more brutal yet not labeled genocide, and identifies Hamas as the only party with genocidal aims in its charter.

Section III: Ideological Explanation.
In the third section, Boudry attributes persistent accusations—despite fabrications, population growth contradicting genocide claims, and reactions opposing peace proposals or refugee openings—to performative ideology rather than sincere belief. Accusers twist evidence to signal allegiance within progressive circles, inverting Holocaust narratives and applying settler-colonial theory that deems Israel's existence inherently genocidal .

This has become a shibboleth, suppressing dissent in academia and institutions.

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'They Don’t Believe It Either. The Gaza Genocide as Ideological Performance'. Maarten Boudry, Substack Oct 21, 2025.

They Don’t Believe It Either.

The Gaza Genocide as Ideological Performance

maartenboudry.substack.com

 

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