Karen Devito came to the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul to work on and attend meetings for the International Freedom Flotilla, which is expected to set sail to the Mediterranean at the end of March or beginning of April.
The ship, carrying aid, will press Israel to end its blockade of Gaza.
Devito evaluated Israel's attacks in the besieged enclave in an interview with Anadolu.
“As a scholar of genocide, I have to say that many people use this word in a way that is not right. However, this is a textbook case. If you look at the definition, genocide has a legal definition. It's not a dictionary definition. It has many conditions. And most of them are being carried out by Israel. So I feel confident to say it's a textbook case of genocide.”
“I don't think we have seen this in the last century,” she said, noting that while wars are between states, in this case, Israel declared a war on people, destroying everything including their culture, hospitals, schools, universities and homes.
“Starvation is being used as a weapon of war. This is one of the aspects of genocide. This is only one aspect. So on even just one count, you would say Israel is committing a textbook case of genocide,” she added.
International Freedom Flotilla
Devito noted that she attended a series of meetings in Istanbul on the organization of the International Freedom Flotilla, recalling that Israel controls the borders of the Gaza Strip, resulting in kilometers-long queues of aid trucks at the borders due to Israel not allowing entry.
“The Freedom Flotilla is a ‘break the siege’ mission. So that is the aim. That is the goal. And really, Palestinians don't need aid. They need to survive. But they're very capable people. And what they need right now is for this war, genocide to end, and they need the occupation to end. And they need the borders open.”
-Protests and boycotts
Devito recalled that people around the world are organizing demonstrations against this “terrible atrocity," emphasizing the importance of these protests and the boycotting of Israeli goods.
She said however that efforts are being made, especially in North America, including the US, to make boycotts and the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement unlawful.
Highlighting the importance of what every person of conscience is doing, she said solidarity groups have been working on boycotts for a long time.
“And now people are more interested in this than ever,” she noted.
“It is an opportunity for all of those solidarity groups to help promote BDS and to show people what is funded by Israel. And they can also make protests when Israeli ships come to port with goods. This is very effective.”
Highlighting that the roots of genocide date back 100 years, she said Israel found an excuse to embark on a genocide on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border incursion into Israel.
Journalistic malpractice
Devito emphasized that there is significant censorship in Western countries regarding Palestine, especially in the US media.
“I would say that the large media companies in the United States like CNN and others are committing journalistic malpractice because they are not showing the real story of what's happening in Palestine. They have been very much slanted towards Israel. The staff talk about this. They're afraid. They're afraid to lose their jobs. But this is going to shift.”
Pointing out that protests are increasing day by day, Devito said if action is not taken now, “there won't be a Gaza.”
“America does not look good in the eyes of the world. It is aiding and abetting a genocide,” she said.
South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague in late December and asked it to grant emergency measures to end the bloodshed in Gaza, where more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7.
The court on Jan. 26 ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.
It also ordered Israel to take "immediate and effective" measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.
The cross-border incursion by Hamas on Oct. 7 killed less than 1,200 people, but the ensuing Israeli offensive into Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.