| THE LIE Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and enforcing apartheid against Arabs. |
| THE TRUTH There is no genocide in Gaza. Arab citizens of Israel are full participants in civic life and consistently report high levels of life satisfaction. |
| BACKGROUND On April 24, 2026, Canadian MP Don Davies accused Israel of “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing,” “apartheid,” and more: “Israel is committing genocide and ethnic cleansing,” he wrote on X. “Bombing schools, hospitals, churches, synagogues. Attacking health workers, civilians. Assassinating journalists. Occupying + seizing land. Blockading. Practicing apartheid. Time for sanctions, boycotts, divestment & isolation.” (X) |
| TRUTH EXPLAINED “Genocide” without population collapse: Gaza’s population has continued to grow throughout the conflict—so much so that in 2025 alone, more children under age ten were vaccinated than were estimated to exist in that age group before the war. That is not how genocide works. (X), (World Health Organization), (CIA) Casualty math that doesn’t add up: Out of roughly 72,000–75,000 deaths reported by Hamas, about 58,000 were Hamas fighters. Even if every remaining death were a civilian, that would still produce an unusually low civilian-to-combatant ratio—around 0.24:1—compared to the roughly 9:1 average in urban warfare. (Henry Jackson Society), (JCFA), (New York Post), (UN) Gazan public opinion undermines the genocide narrative: Polling shows 98% of Gazans expressed “pride” in the October 7th attacks, with majorities supporting the continuation of armed conflict. A population actively endorsing the war being waged in its name does not fit the profile of one facing deliberate extermination. (Hamas), (PalWatch) “Ethnic cleansing” in which Israel’s Arab minority has nearly doubled: Arabs make up ~21% of Israel’s population (up from 13.6%), hold Knesset seats, serve on the Supreme Court, and participate across all sectors of society. (IDI), (MFA), (Washington Institute), (TOI) “Apartheid” where the minority thrives: Arab Israelis report general life satisfaction, improved opportunity, ~64% financial stability, and even higher life expectancy (Arab women vs. Jewish men)—while also being exempt from mandatory military service. No apartheid produces such results. (IDI), (Jerusalem Post), (Shaharit), (Tel Aviv University) There are no synagogues in Gaza — and there haven’t been since 2005: Israel withdrew every last Jew from Gaza in 2005, leaving no Jewish residents and no synagogues. The only Jews in Gaza since then were hostages forcibly taken to Gaza by Hamas. (Yale Law School) Israel doesn’t target churches or hospitals: The Saint Porphyrius church was never destroyed, and the Holy Family Church was hit by an acknowledged accidental shell. Israeli raids have uncovered Hamas use of hospitals like Kamal Adwan, whose own director admitted ties to Hamas and use of the facility for military purposes. (Orthodox Church), (Breitbart), (Honest Reporting) Shrinking territory while “seizing land”: Israel gave up Sinai (1979), parts of Judea and Samaria (1994), and all of Gaza (2005), making it smaller than it was decades ago—yet still somehow faces accusations of “occupation.” (Honest Reporting) “Blockade” that includes aid and work permits: Gaza’s borders are controlled by both Israel and Egypt. Israel has facilitated ~100 aid trucks daily and was allowing up to 17,500 Gazans to work inside Israel until Hamas launched the October 7th massacre. Somehow, Egypt—which imposes even tighter border restrictions on Gaza—is not accused of a “blockade.” (Jerusalem Post), (UNICEF), (Times of Israel), (FrontPage Mag) |
| QUOTES“ How is Israel an apartheid state if I am on [Israel’s biggest TV show in Israel], singing in Hebrew and Arabic? I’m Israeli, and we love each other.” — Arab singer Valerie Hamaty“How could anyone be occupying their own land? Can anyone explain that to me? Because the Jews have been living in this land for thousands and thousands of years.” — Charlie Kirk “The genocide that you describe is such a smear and a libel against the Jewish state. If Israel wanted to commit genocide I’m sure it could. But it doesn’t remotely want to. And people like you and other pro-Palestinian propagandists have spent years claiming that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. By the way, the weirdest thing about this claim is that the population of the Gaza has grown by a million in the last 15 or so years, so if Israel was trying to carry out a genocide it’s either the worst perpetrator of genocide ever or uniquely poor at performing that task. None of the stats support that ridiculous claim. It’s such a weird smear and a libel of Israel.” — Douglas Murray |
| TAKEAWAY Don Davies’ rant accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” is a masterclass in lazy, fact-free propaganda. Gaza’s population has grown, not collapsed. Civilian-to-combatant ratios are historically low thanks to IDF warnings. Arab Israelis (21% of the population) thrive in the Knesset, Supreme Court, and even voluntary IDF service, with rising life expectancy. This is hardly “apartheid” or “ethnic cleansing.” No synagogues have existed in Gaza since the 2005 expulsion of Jews in the Gaza Disengagement. Israeli strikes on churches and hospitals in Gaza were either accidents or hits on Hamas bases. Many “journalists” and “health workers” were documented Hamas operatives. Israel left Gaza entirely in 2005, repeatedly traded land for peace , and granted thousands of aid and work permits to Gazans until October 7th. Davies’ selective fury, ignoring Hamas atrocities, marks him as either a useful idiot or a willing peddler of blood libels unfit for public office. |
