Israel and Gaza

You set out arguments against South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide (“Show trial”, January 20th). But you did not tackle one large question regarding intent. What does the Israeli government want to happen to Palestinians when it finishes its war on Gaza? Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, has rejected a Palestinian state. Offering Israeli citizenship to the Palestinians is not likely, because they would then have the same rights as Israelis to lease land, and could claim protection against harassment and the confiscation of their land by other Israeli citizens. If Israel occupied Gaza it would be responsible for rebuilding the territory, paying for food, medicine, shelter, education and so on. Either full citizenship or full implementation of the responsibilities of an occupying state would require great generosity on the part of the Israeli government.

Or is it the unstated hope of the government that, in the name of humanitarian concerns, the Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories should be “voluntarily” moved to other countries? This would appear to breach Article 2 of the Genocide convention, which forbids “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.

JANE SIMPSON

Canberra

Your leader was strangely schizophrenic. On the one hand, it casts doubt about South Africa’s allegations by asserting that Israel “is targeting Hamas fighters” rather than ordinary Gazans. On the other hand, it states that the death toll in Gaza “raises grave doubts” over whether Israel is complying with its obligation to “distinguish between civilians and combatants”. Make up your mind. Which is it?

ALAIN DECKERS

Brussels