The International Association of Genocide Scholars has passed a resolution declaring that what Israel is doing in the war in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide. Meanwhile, Donald Trump conducted an interview where he touched on the issue and suggested that this may merely be a public relations problem plaguing Israel.
The IAGS is a highly respected institution of scholars specializing in genocide. The group has been deeply involved in declaring situations like the one in Darfur as genocide. But their announcement on Israel in Gaza has been long delayed. It took the group 22 months to come to a conclusion on whether they define the war in Gaza as genocide or not. BBC reports that the scholars in the organization number around 500, and 28% took part in this particular vote. An overwhelming number of those who did participate announced that, in their professional opinion, Israel is in fact committing genocide.
The scholars who decided to withhold their participation have not yet clarified why they chose not to take part in what’s becoming the defining topic in geopolitics today. Although one would assume Trump’s propensity for sanctioning just about anyone who points out the Israeli government as a bad actor could have contributed to that decision.
Trump just so happened to have an interview released at around the same time the IAGS released their resolution. The Times of Israel reports that Trump told Reagan Reese of the Daily Caller, “They’re gonna have to get that war over with… It is hurting Israel.” Trump went on to claim that Israel must “finish the job” against Hamas.
Evening excerpt from my interview with Trump:
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) September 1, 2025
The president acknowledged to me that Israel is losing its control of Congress as war in the Middle East wages on.
"Israel was the strongest lobby I've ever seen. They had total control over Congress, and now they don't, you know,… pic.twitter.com/4xQ0QILxrs
Trump’s message, however, had to be nuanced, because it’s not just Hamas and international human rights organizations that are losing trust in Israel — the MAGA base too has grown disillusioned with it. To that, Trump responded by saying that Israel may be winning the [Gaza] war, but they’re not “winning the world of public relations.” He did, however, go on to reiterate his unwavering support for Israel despite the growing global resentment toward the Benjamin Netanyahu regime.
With other major NATO allies, all signs point toward a formal recognition of the Palestinian state in the upcoming UN General Assembly vote. France has already formally announced recognition of Palestine. The British Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed outrage at what he termed a “man-made famine” in Gaza, before announcing that the UK too will formally recognize Palestine as a state. And Belgium has also announced that not only will it recognize Palestine but it will also sanction Israel. Trump, on the other hand, is reportedly trying to revoke the visas of Palestinian Authority leaders.
—
Palestine will be recognised by Belgium at #UNGA.
Firm sanctions are being taken against the Israeli government. Any antisemitism or glorification of terrorism by Hamas supporters will also be more strongly condemned.
Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairshttps://t.co/U3oJOpVIfi
Belgium MFA (@BelgiumMFA) September 2, 2025
The situation in Gaza remains dire. Fifty thousand children have either been killed or injured. Journalists are still denied entry; those who somehow made it in have largely lost their lives. The UN has confirmed there is a famine taking place there. And Israel controls all border crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip. As Trump suggests a simple PR rehabilitation, other world leaders are finally in agreement that something more drastic must be done.
