Regarding your initial set of links, I think it’s clear that I don’t consider these particularly credible. With that said, the accusation obviously has some degree of surface-level plausibility. But there’s more to genocide than “people are being killed”.

If some of the most respected legal institutions of these countries aren’t credible, what IS credible? Israeli spokespeople?

I don’t have any issues with that. I know, that sounds callous but considering that urban warfare and sieges always have exceptionally horrific civilian death tolls even without one side (Hamas) very deliberately placing as many civilians between them and the enemy as they can, I’d argue that those numbers are actually exceptionally good.

Claims of Hamas using human shields aside, the US claimed civilian casualty ratio in the War on Terror, in which we were (rightfully) condemned for being trigger happy, was .2%. The actual number was 15%.

50% is horrifying - and 50% is the lowest possible estimate, which relies on the IDF being more honest than the US government. Outside sources put the low estimate at ~63%, which assumes, like the .2% claim of the US, that all military-age males killed are enemy combatants, which is pretty fucking dubious at best. Upper estimates go north of 90%.

For reference, the October 7th terrorist attack, in which Hamas deliberately targeted civilians, had a civilian casualty ratio of ~75% according to the Israeli government (whose claims in this case are credible, considering the evidence presented and the difficulty of falsifying one’s own casualties in the context of civilian reporting)

Not for lack of trying.

The Americans pursued strategic bombing, industrial and military targets, the Brits pursued terror bombing, choosing civilian targets that would demoralize the population. Israel is performing precision strikes on civilians. They’re not trying to demoralize the population. They’re attempting ethnic fucking cleansing. Fuck’s sake, what do you put Israel’s effective siege on humanitarian aid as? Is setting up starvation conditions in Gaza just being friendly?

Ben-Gvir and his party certainly would like to turn it into a genocide, but coalition governments don’t work that way. A public statement from one minor coalition member doesn’t make something government policy. Otzma Yehudit has two ministers and six seats in the Knesset, they’re very much not able to dictate government policy. The fact that they haven’t been kicked out of the coalition over their remarks is concerning, but so far that’s all it is.

How many members of the government need to express genocidal intent before you consider genocidal intent to be present? Do you apply this standard to all ongoing genocides?