Hundreds Challenge Genocide Scholars Group Accusation Against Israel

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) recently passed a resolution declaring that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a claim that received widespread media coverage portraying the group as a leading authority on genocide. However, the resolution has been met with substantial criticism from nearly 200 genocide, Holocaust, and legal scholars, who argue that the IAGS made significant errors, including failing to consider Hamas' role and diluting the legal standards of genocide for ideological reasons. Critics also highlighted procedural issues such as a lack of transparency, limited member participation in the vote, and the blocking of dissenting voices, with only 129 of over 500 members voting and 86% of those supporting the resolution. It has also emerged that the IAGS operates an open membership model allowing anyone—including activists, artists, and non-experts—to join by paying a fee, which further calls into question the scholarly consensus the resolution purportedly represents. Following the resolution, pro-Israel activists joined the association en masse, some as a form of protest or prank, revealing membership registrations with names like "Adolf Hitler" and fictional characters, and prompting the IAGS to deactivate its public members directory. These developments have intensified debate over the legitimacy of the resolution and the credibility of the IAGS as an expert body on genocide.