Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.
Omer Bartov is a historian who specializes in German military history and genocide studies. I have three of his books: “The Eastern Front, 1941-45, German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare”; “Hitler’s Army: Soldiers, Nazis, and War in the Third Reich”; and “Germany’s War and the Holocaust: Disputed Histories.” He has studied the Holocaust closely; as a young man, he served in the Israeli Defense Forces and now teaches at Brown University. He is uniquely placed to judge what’s happening in Gaza and he’s quite clear about his conclusion. It’s a genocide.
I highly recommend watching this entire interview of Omer Bartov by LTC Danny Davis.
A few points from the interview:
- The IDF in Gaza is showing the effects of brutalization similar to that of the Wehrmacht in World War II. IDF soldiers are looting, killing, and showing similar manifestations of barbaric indiscipline, and they are almost never held accountable for their war crimes.
- The Israeli people are being encouraged to show no empathy toward Palestinian suffering. Zionism has increasingly morphed into a racist form of Jewish supremacism in which Palestinian lives and suffering simply don’t matter.
- U.S. politicians are enabling genocide in Gaza.
- What Bibi Netanyahu wants is a “Greater Israel” that is largely free of Palestinians. U.S. talk of a “two-state solution” is nonsensical in the face of Bibi’s ruthless goal.
- Israel is obviously pursuing a military solution to the Palestinian question. That “solution” involves mass killing, massive destruction of infrastructure, and deliberate efforts to promote starvation while doing little to prevent the spread of disease. The goal of forcing Palestinians to flee from their land, or to die if they choose to remain and fight, marks this as a genocide under international law, ironically law that was enacted in the aftermath of the Holocaust by Germany against European Jews during World War II.
- The U.S. is playing Bibi’s game. Bibi will keep going with this genocide because to stop it with a ceasefire would likely mean that he will be called to account for October 7th (failing to prevent the attacks) as well as crimes he’s previously been indicted for.
- Instead of the U.S. being the “best friend” of Israel, it is encouraging the worst impulses within Israel, setting the stage for further Middle East conflict and a possible war with Iran. It is also, let’s always remember, enabling the mass slaughter of innocent Palestinians.
Bartov suggests Netanyahu would prefer Donald Trump to be reelected as president, but he notes a Kamala Harris presidency would likely change little, since Netanyahu will bring all pressure to bear against Democrats to continue the current policy. Harris has already stated she supports Israel’s right to defend itself and is against any weapons embargo. If she wins, it’s likely she’ll continue current practices.
Bartov sees this as a disaster not only for the Palestinians but also ultimately for Israel in the long term.
William J. Astore is a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF). He taught history for fifteen years at military and civilian schools. He writes at Bracing Views.