Michael Gove on Gaza

Michael Gove has taken a firm stance against the use of the term "genocide" to describe Israel's military operation in Gaza. His position became public following a critique of Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who had labelled the action as genocide. Gove asserted that equating Israel's conduct to historical atrocities like the Shoah or Rwanda, or to groups like the SS or Interahamwe, is "wicked" and that such language deprives the word of its meaning. He also implied that those making the accusation might be exploiting prejudice for political gain.

This view contrasts with the conclusions of various international organizations and genocide scholars whom Polanski cited, many of whom are Jewish Israeli academics. Gove's stance aligns with a broader argument that such accusations are disingenuous and serve to delegitimize Israel's existence, particularly in light of the October 7th Hamas attack, which he termed the largest pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust. Furthermore, he has linked the growth of antisemitism to the delegitimization campaign against Israel on university campuses and elsewhere.