Sham exposed: Fake report against Israel by fake experts circulates in international press

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), an organization that recently passed a resolution accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a resolution that was reported by major international media such as the BBC, The Guardian and The Washington Post, has taken drastic measures to try to hide that its organization is a sham, that it is not made up of experts, and that its anti-Israel report is based on lies and distortions.

The aforementioned media outlets highlighted this IAGS statement, presenting it as a definitive position of specialists on the subject.

According to Melanie O'Brien, president of the IAGS, the resolution received nearly 90% of the votes and represents the opinion of experts in genocide studies. However, a closer examination reveals serious irregularities, reported The Free Press.

The organization allows anyone to join as a member by simply filling out a form and paying a $30 fee, with no strict academic requirements. Salo Aizenberg, a board member of Honest Reporting and contributor to NGO Monitor, discovered this and easily signed up, sharing his experience on X. After his post, others joined ironically, including fake profiles such as Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, Adolf Hitler from Gaza, and Mo Cookie, a version of the Cookie Monster character wearing a Hamas-logo scarf.

IAGS deactivates member pages and deletes their X account

Recently, Eitan Fischberger, a writer and researcher who joined IAGS in the same way as the parody profiles, claimed on X that the association has deactivated individual member pages—marking them as inactive, including his own—and has deleted his account on the platform.

Fischberger criticized the decision as contradicting the open membership model the association promoted and questioned whether there will be accountability for the claims it spread, while also requesting a refund of his $30 fee. This suggests an attempt by IAGS to limit visibility in the wake of the controversy.

A flurry of irregularities

The IAGS claims to have about 500 members, mostly academics, but also individuals from various fields related to genocide prevention and education. Interestingly, 80 of them are registered as residing in Iraq, a country not known for university programs in this area. Moreover, only 108 members supported the resolution, representing just 21.6% of the total—not 90% as implied. This figure comes from 108 votes in favor out of 129 cast in total, according to The Free Press.

The voting process also raises questions. Sara Brown, author of a book on gender and genocide in Rwanda, claimed on X that the leadership prevented critical comments before the vote and canceled a promised public forum. In addition, it refused to disclose the names of the authors of the resolution.

False report

The document itself contains inaccuracies: it cites 59,000 deaths in Gaza without distinguishing between civilians and Hamas terrorists. It omits details about how Hamas stores weapons in homes, schools, and hospitals, or how its fighters wear civilian clothing and use a network of tunnels beneath residential buildings. In addition, it references Francesca Albanese, a UN special rapporteur criticized for anti-Semitic publications, including one on X where she accuses many Jews of living a "lie" by supporting Israel, which she claims leads to "genocide."

This resolution appears to be based not on rigorous analysis but on a biased approach. Hamas, responsible for the October 7, 2023, attacks, welcomed the declaration in a statement. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, a genocide expert, criticized these scholars for politicizing the field and failing to condemn the initiators of the conflict, highlighting their priorities.

Given the apparent consensus, IAGS should publish the names of those who accuse Israel of genocide, suggests The Free Press, which highlights in its report how activists masquerade as experts to influence public opinion.