An op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal editorial board titled "The UN's anti-Israel 'genocide' purge" claims the United Nations' decision not to renew Alice Wairimu Nderitu's contract as Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide stems directly from her refusal to characterize Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide.
"The United Nations long ago lost credibility as a moral arbiter, but its assault on Israel is hitting a new low," the op-ed began.
The UN has decided to fire its Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide.
Alice Wairimu Nderitu from Kenya is being forced out because she publicly said that Israel's operations in Gaza don't meet the definition of genocide. pic.twitter.com/eceOYCHryM
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 26, 2024
The editorial board quotes her UN biography, which describes her as a "recognized voice in the field of peacebuilding and violence prevention." She has served since 2020 and is being dismissed "because she has stood firm in her belief that Israel's war with Hamas isn't genocide." They note that her position has put her at odds with "the anti-Israel cabal at the UN."
Nderitu's office previously issued guidance in 2022 stressing that UN officials should "Adhere to the correct usage" of the term genocide, warning against "its frequent misuse in referring to large scale, grave crimes committed against particular populations."
In defending Nderitu's position, the WSJ editorial board emphasizes the legal requirements for classifying violence as genocide. "As a legal matter, establishing a pattern of violence as a genocide requires demonstrating intent," they write. "Israel's campaign of self-defense doesn't qualify. The war against Hamas has had many deaths, but Israel's strategy is intended to dismantle a terrorist regime, not eliminate an ethnic group." The board adds that "The Jewish state has gone to great lengths to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties, even as Hamas uses civilians as shields so their deaths can be used as propaganda." But, "That's not what the anti-Israel cabal at the UN want to hear."
The editorial points to mounting pressure from other UN officials, particularly Austrian Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who the board says "has spent the past year assailing Israel." This culminated in a November 14 report from the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices that supported "serious concerns of breaches of international humanitarian and human rights laws" and "the possibility of genocide in Gaza and an apartheid system in the West Bank."
"The word has become a weapon of political propaganda that will erode its moral authority when it's needed to describe genuine horrors," the editorial board argues.
A UN spokesperson maintained that "Alice Nderitu is leaving the UN as her contract is expiring," adding that "Genocide is strictly defined in international law and any legal determination" is made by "appropriate judicial bodies." However, the WSJ editorial board argues this explanation rings hollow, noting that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has the authority to extend such contracts, which are "often renewed when their terms expire," Nderitu's "removal is a political choice."
The board characterizes Nderitu's stance as "a profile in courage" for "her refusal to endorse a lie in service of a political agenda," while questioning whether "anyone with integrity can survive at the UN."
