General Discussion

While in the past I would have considered Dr Bartov's opinion article a case of mere partisan zealotry, I am now detecting a whiff of academic dishonesty in it. He consistently misrepresents what the academics he is citing are actually saying to create false appearance of their consensus with his fringe views.

In the article by Shmuel Lederman which he cites, the author makes a clear distinction between the legal meaning of genocide, which is up to the competent international courts to rule on, and a perception of certain measures anticipated from Israeli government that would allow for interpreting its actions as genocidal (https://www.regthink.org/genocidal-intentions/).

He misquotes William Shabas, who never mentioned genocide in the cited Facebook clip (https://www.facebook.com/MiddleEastEye/videos/680386097836076/?rdid=Bt5j27n9IWEkRwG0).

The cited article by Martin Shaw doesn't go beyond, in the case of Israel, "raising questions" of "genocidal intent" (https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/the-uses-and-abuses-of-the-term-genocide-in-gaza/).

In the cited article by Dirk Moses, the author argues that "legally speaking a genocide cannot be unilaterally declared" and such determination by parties other than competent legal venues doesn't go beyond unilateral and sentimental. He further demonstrates that Israel's actions in Gaza are by no means unique or exceptional, citing comparable conflicts where no accusations of genocide have been made (https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/more-than-genocide/)

Only one of the genocide scholars cited by Dr. Bartow, Melanie O’Brien, agrees with his opinion, and it appears that the organization she heads doesn't share it (https://genocidescholars.org/)

Contrary to Dr Bartov's claims, there is no consensus even within the small group of genocide scholars he carefully selected to misrepresent agreement with his partisan opinions, let alone the wider community of genocide scholars. Add to it the aforementioned "rift between genocide scholars and Holocaust scholars", and the picture of Dr Bartow's isolation from the mainstream majority of scholars becomes undeniable, no matter how hard he, or his fans, try to conceal it.