Omer Bartov vs. David Josef Volodzko Regarding Genocide

Raiders of the Unknown (Mystic-Skeptic Radio)

In this weeks show Journalist David Josef Volodzko returns. The controversial author had an exchange with Genocide expert Omer Bartov. Dr. Bartov wrote an article in The Guardian arguing The State of Israel is guilty of genocide. Volodzko responding to the accusation of Genocide is presented after reading Omer Bartov essay in this episode. His email response to Bartov is below:

“Mr. Bartov, I read your moving essay in The Guardian this morning. It is maybe one of the more powerful essays I have read of this nature since Oct 7. I do not see the case for genocide, but I do feel it is important to humanize both sides of this conflict, as you have done. I wish there was more writing like this out there. I am surprised that you wrote of the "utter inability of Israeli society today to feel any empathy..." I would argue for the removal of "utter" and "any" and I have seen videos of Israelis being interviewed and, even after Oct 7, expressing compassion for the people of Gaza. Perhaps you have also seen such videos. I have also spoken to my Israeli friends. Only the most extreme far-right have literally zero compassion for the Gazans. But this is a minor point in an overall impressive call for rachamin.”He replied, but only to thank me for my message. He did not actually engage any of my points. Frankly, I find his argument absurd. In the video you sent, he claims that Israel is guilty of genocide because Gazans have no place left to run.

This ignores the geopolitical and military realities of this war. And I do not care that Bartov is widely regarded as a genocide expert. He has that reputation because he is a historian of the Holocaust. That does not give him expertise in assessing all types of genocide or all types of military conflict. And despite my respect for his humanity and compassion, and his staggeringly impressive historical work on the Holocaust, I personally think his understanding of genocide, or applkication of that understanding to this specific conflict, is stunningly ignorant.

No act of violence is genocidal unless it has genocidal intent. Period. You can kill only five people and it can be genocidal violence. You can kill 100,000 and it may not be genocidal whatsoever. Genocide must have the intention of erasing an ethnic group, or attempting to do so. Bartov is instead using Ibram X. Kendi's definition of racism, adapted to the concept of genocide. Namely, that if the results mirror the results you would get from racism, then it is racism. Or, if you see many people being trapped and killed as you would expect to see in a true genocide, then it is genocide.

This is asinine. Again, genocide is the attempt to kill off an entire ethnic group. Hence genos- + -cide. So if someone wants to claim that Israel intends to kill all Palestinians, they are first going to have to explain why 20% of Israel is Palestinian. It's a pretty fucking weird form of genocide that gives citizenship and social welfare benefits to the ethnic group you are trying to wipe out of existence, or allows them into your own government, and even collects terrorists of that ethnicity who have slaughtered your own children — and treats them, saving their lives, even

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…