RFK Jr. Denounces Genocide Claims Against Israel As “Blood Libel”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blasted accusations of genocide against Israel, calling the charge a “blood libel” and endorsing an essay that meticulously refutes the claim. Kennedy, a lifelong supporter of Israel and son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, pointed to a detailed analysis by urban warfare expert John Spencer as proof that Israel’s actions in Gaza do not meet the legal or moral definition of genocide.

“The genocide charge is a blood libel. Thank you Major Spencer for this withering deconstruction,” Kennedy wrote, invoking the historical term “blood libel” a notorious false accusation that fueled violent pogroms against Jews for centuries.

Spencer’s key arguments include:

• Legal Definition of Genocide: Spencer stressed that genocide requires clear intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, which he says Israel’s actions do not demonstrate.

• Operational Restraint: After embedding with Israeli forces multiple times since October 7, Spencer reported seeing “real risks to avoid harming civilians,” including missions delayed or canceled due to the presence of children.

• Humanitarian Efforts: Israel has facilitated more than 94,000 aid trucks carrying 1.8 million tons of supplies into Gaza, while supporting hospitals, repairing infrastructure, and enabling thousands of patients to seek treatment abroad.

Spencer’s essay, I’m a War Scholar. There Is No Genocide in Gaza, rebuts claims from a New York Times op-ed by Brown University professor Omer Bartov. Spencer argued that Bartov’s interpretation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime rhetoric is misleading. “It is what any leader would say after the worst terrorist attack in the nation’s history,” Spencer noted, referencing Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

Spencer also challenged Gaza casualty figures cited by Hamas, noting they include combatants and misclassify anyone under 18 as a child, despite Hamas using minors as fighters. “Civilian deaths are tragic, but in Gaza, they are also part of Hamas’s strategy,” Spencer wrote, adding that body counts alone cannot define a military campaign as genocide. He compared current accusations to past wars including Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan none of which were labeled genocidal despite high civilian casualties.

Kennedy’s public support for Israel aligns with his family’s history. His father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was also a staunch advocate for the Jewish state before his assassination in 1968. RFK Jr.’s firm stance highlights a growing divide in Washington, where progressive factions have increasingly turned against Israel during its ongoing war with Hamas.

“War is hell,” Spencer wrote in the essay Kennedy praised. “It is inhumane, destructive, and ugly. But it is not automatically a crime. Israel is doing everything possible to distinguish between terrorists and civilians I have seen it with my own eyes.”

Kennedy’s remarks add to a chorus of voices pushing back against what they see as a dangerous, politically motivated smear campaign against Israel.

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