Blow to the truth: UN removes top official who refused to say Israel commits 'genocide' in Gaza

The United Nations (UN) dismissed Alice Nderitu, its Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, after she refused to characterize Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip—part of its response to Palestinian terrorism following the October 7 massacre—as genocide, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

According to the U.S. newspaper, Nderitu, who had held the position since 2020 and was widely recognized for her peace-building and violence prevention efforts, will be informed that her contract, which is soon to expire, will not be renewed.

The misuse of the term 'genocide'

In 2022, the official's office published an article calling for maintaining the proper use of the term “genocide.”

In the brief, Nderitu's office referred to the "frequent misuse in referring to large-scale, grave crimes committed against particular populations; the emotive nature of the term and political sensitivity surrounding its use; and the potential legal implications associated with a determination of genocide."

Ndreitu noted that the term genocide was coined in 1944 by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin to describe massacres of entire ethnic groups with the intent to annihilate them. He added that this definition includes the Holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda, the massacre of Bosnian Muslims by the Serbs, and could include the current ethnic violence in Sudan.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out in its article that "as a legal matter, establishing a pattern of violence as a genocide requires demonstrating intent. Israel’s campaign of self-defense doesn’t qualify." It added that while there were many deaths in the Gaza war, Israeli forces are seeking to dismantle a terrorist regime, not to annihilate an ethnic group. He also pointed out that the Jewish state makes significant efforts to minimize civilian casualties, despite the fact that Hamas uses them as human shields to turn their deaths into a propaganda tool.

Nderitu's dismissal, a "political decision"

The Wall Street Journal’s claims contradict the report presented last November 14 by the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices of the UN, which accused the Jewish State of violating humanitarian laws and international human rights, as well as suggested "the possibility of genocide in Gaza and an apartheid system in the West Bank.”

It should be noted that the committee is composed of representatives from Malaysia, Senegal and Sri Lanka, the first two being Muslim countries with a history of strong hostility towards Israel.

The committee is strongly supported and influenced by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who has been a strong critic of Israel, as well as António Guterres, secretary general of the organization, who even justified the October 7 massacre by stating that it had not occurred "in a vacuum.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that while the UN claims Nderitu's departure is due to the termination of her contract, the reality is that it was a “political decision.” This move, they argue, was prompted by the discomfort her presence caused within the narrative the UN seeks to promote, especially since the organization typically renews such contracts.

The Wall Street Journal concluded that "Beyond Ms. Nderitu’s fate, the damage here includes defining genocide down. The word has become a weapon of political propaganda that will erode its moral authority when it’s needed to describe genuine horrors.”