ChatGPT: Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?

 

CHATGPT's Bottom Line:  "...Israel's actions in Gaza are consistent with genocide under international law."

 Clay to ChatGPT: Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?

ChatGPT:

Here’s what can be definitively stated based on the most credible and current sources:

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✅ What human rights bodies are saying

Multiple United Nations experts and bodies, including:

• The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices found in a November 14, 2024 report that Israel’s military operations in Gaza—including siege tactics, obstruction of aid, and starvation used as a weapon—are consistent with practices recognized under the Genocide Convention.VoxPolitico+15United Nations+15Al Jazeera+15

• UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese concluded in a March 26, 2024 report at the UN Human Rights Council that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel is committing at least three acts enumerated under the Genocide Convention:

  1. Killing members of the Palestinian group

  2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm

  3. Intentionally inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction in whole or in part Reuters+9The United Nations Office at Geneva+9Wikipedia+9

Further, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials—including the Prime Minister—for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.The Washington Post

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📌 What independent rights groups report

• Amnesty International, in a large-scale investigation covering October 2023–April 2024, concluded Israel is committing genocide by deliberately conducting indiscriminate attacks on civilians, destroying life‑sustaining infrastructure, and denying basic necessities like food, water, and medicines.Wikipedia+15Amnesty International+15PBS+15

• A variety of independent scholars and rights experts including Craig Mokhiber have described Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a “textbook genocide.” Wikipedia

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🏛️ What international courts are doing

• South Africa’s case before the ICJ (the Hague), filed December 29, 2023, alleges genocide. On January 26, 2024, the Court issued binding provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent acts that could amount to genocide—but did not order a ceasefire. It found that certain acts appear capable of falling within the Genocide Convention.Al Jazeera+5Wikipedia+5Wikipedia+5

• Israel strongly rejects these accusations, stating it is fighting Hamas—not Palestinians—and accusing critics of politicizing the genocide label. Israeli representatives have called genocide allegations “baseless” and akin to libel. Al Jazeera Al Jazeera

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📊 Context right now

• The UN humanitarian and rights bodies warn of an intensifying crisis: severe famine-like conditions, mass hunger, blocked aid routes, large-scale civilian displacement, and extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure.The Guardian+1AP News+1

• Western governments—including the UK, EU, Australia and 28 other countries—have publicly condemned Israel’s conduct as potentially violating international legal norms. Some rights groups have called for international accountability.The AustralianAP NewsThe Guardian

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🧾 So: Is genocide occurring?

• Legal experts and UN-appointed investigators have concluded there are strong reasons—including some binding provisional ICJ orders—to believe Israel’s actions in Gaza currently meet at least some criteria under the 1948 Genocide Convention—especially killing civilians, causing serious harm, and creating life-threatening conditions intentionally.Wikipedia+2Al Jazeera+2Wikipedia+2

• However, a final legal determination from the ICJ or another international judicial body is still pending and can take years.

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🧭 Summary Table

Aspect	What experts say
Acts of genocide	UN rapporteurs and committees say criteria are being met.
Genocidal intent	Amnesty and UN experts argue intent is evident.
ICJ ruling	Issued provisional measures; full judgment still pending.
Counterargument	Israel rejects the characterization, citing self-defense.
Humanitarian impact	Widespread death, starvation, infrastructure destruction.

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🔍 Bottom Line

According to trusted UN investigators, international human rights groups, and preliminary ICJ findings, there is a substantive, evidence-based case that Israel's actions in Gaza are consistent with genocide under international law. That said, the question is not conclusively resolved in court. Israel firmly denies the allegations, citing its right to self‑defense and rejecting the interpretation of intent.

So, with all the usual ifs, ands, or buts, ChatGPT comes very close to recognizing "that Israel's actions in Gaza are consistent with genocide under international law."

Clay Claiborne
22 July 2025

See also:
Even Elon's AI admits: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

Google's Gemini becomes a mealy-mouth when asked about Genocide in Gaza

Google's Gemini becomes a mealy-mouth when asked about Genocide in Gaza

Google's Gemini AI chatbot provides a very wordy answer to this simple question, but refuses to come to a definitive conclusion:

Clay: Gemini, Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?

Gemini: The question of whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza is a complex and highly contentious issue, with differing legal interpretations and significant international debate.

Here's a breakdown of the key points:

Legal Definition of Genocide:

Under Article 2 of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, genocide is defined as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

A crucial element in proving genocide is establishing "genocidal intent" – the specific objective to destroy a group, in whole or in part.¹ This is often the most difficult aspect to prove in legal proceedings.

Arguments and Allegations of Genocide:

• South Africa's ICJ Case: In January 2024, South Africa initiated proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleging that Israel's military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide. While the court has not yet ruled on the merits of the charge, it has issued binding provisional measures, including directives to ensure unimpeded humanitarian aid, reflecting a "plausible" risk of genocide.²

• Expert Consensus: A growing number of international law experts, UN officials, and human rights organizations, including some Israeli scholars, are increasingly characterizing Israel's conduct in Gaza as genocidal.³ They point to:

  • Large-scale killing: As of July 2025, over 59,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, with over half identified as women and children.

  • Use of starvation as a weapon: Reports indicate deliberate starvation and the destruction of Palestinian reproductive capacity.⁴ Access to food, water, and electricity remains critically limited.⁵

  • Destruction of civilian infrastructure: Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, and a significant portion of Gaza's hospitals and educational institutions have been destroyed or damaged.⁶

  • Forced displacement: Over 85% of Gaza's population (over 1.9 million people) has been forcibly displaced.

  • Statements by Israeli officials: Some observers, including UN experts, cite statements by senior Israeli officials that may indicate an "intent to destroy" Gaza's population in whole or in part.

• UN and Human Rights Organizations: Organizations like Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and various UN special committees and rapporteurs have stated that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.⁷

Israel's Position and Counterarguments:

• Self-defense: Israel denies South Africa's allegations and maintains that its military actions are a legitimate response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas and are aimed at destroying Hamas and ensuring its security.⁸

• Lawful conduct: Israel asserts that its forces act in accordance with international law and endeavor to minimize civilian casualties, blaming Hamas for operating within civilian areas.

• Aid delivery: Israel claims it allows sufficient aid into Gaza and accuses Hamas of diverting it, a claim the UN denies.⁹

• Lack of genocidal intent: Some scholars of international law and genocide studies argue there is insufficient evidence of a specific "intent to destroy" the Palestinian people as a group.

International Legal Processes:

• ICJ: The ICJ case brought by South Africa is ongoing and a final verdict is expected to take years.¹⁰

• International Criminal Court (ICC): The ICC has an ongoing investigation into potential crimes committed by both parties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including during the current Gaza war.¹¹ The ICC Prosecutor has sought arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders on charges including war crimes and crimes against humanity.¹

In summary, while no international court has yet issued a final ruling finding Israel guilty of genocide in the current conflict, the allegations are serious and are being actively pursued in international legal forums. There is a strong and growing consensus among many legal experts and human rights organizations that Israel's actions meet the legal definition of genocide, while Israel vehemently denies these claims

Clay: But what is your conclusion? Can you answer yes or no?

Whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza is a question that cannot be definitively answered with a simple "yes" or "no" at this time, as it is a matter of ongoing legal proceedings and intense international debate.

Here's why a simple "yes" or "no" is insufficient:

• Legal Determination Required: Under international law, a finding of genocide requires a formal legal determination by a competent court or tribunal, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ). While the ICJ has indicated a "plausible risk of genocide" and issued provisional measures, it has not yet made a final ruling on the merits of the case.

• Intent is Key: The legal definition of genocide hinges on the difficult-to-prove element of "genocidal intent"—the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.¹ Proving this intent is complex.

• Differing Interpretations: Legal scholars, international organizations, and national governments hold diverse views on whether the actions and stated intentions of Israeli officials meet the high bar for proving genocide.

Therefore, as an AI, I cannot provide a "yes" or "no" answer to a question that is currently the subject of complex legal processes and significant international disagreement. My role is to provide factual and nuanced information based on the available data, which in this case points to a highly contested and unresolved legal and ethical question.

Clay: How much business does Google do with Israel?

Gemini: Google has significant business dealings with Israel, encompassing a range of activities from major acquisitions to government contracts and partnerships with local companies.

Here's a summary of the key areas of Google's business with Israel:

1. Project Nimbus:

Google and Amazon were awarded a joint $1.2 billion contract by the Israeli government in 2021 to provide cloud computing services for its public sector, known as "Project Nimbus."

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I wonder how many megawatts it took for the Google data centers to come up with the mealy-mouthed answer? I guess it knows who's paying the electric bill, and if you didn't know that AI answers can be bent by political & financial considerations—well, you know it now.

Clay Claiborne

22 July 2025

See also:

Even Elon's AI admits: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza