“There is a vigorous debate within the Jewish community over aspects of how this war was fought, and that is a sign of moral health. So is our pain over every innocent life lost. But we must unite in repudiating the lie of genocide.
“A crucial difference between war as tragedy and war as genocide is intent.
“In this war, only one side intended to commit genocide, and that is Hamas.
“The classic definition of genocide has been changed to apply only to the Gaza war – just as anti-Israel NGOs changed the definition of apartheid and colonialism to apply only to Israel.
“The accusation of genocide has become a pretext for excluding, attacking and even murdering Jews around the world. Its purpose is to delegitimise Jewish self-determination and to turn the only Jewish state into the world’s arch criminal and pariah.”
Ari Ingel, executive director of Creative Community for Peace, said artists and cultural figures had a particular responsibility because of their ability to influence public opinion.
The open letter argued that rejecting the genocide allegation does not require ignoring suffering in Gaza or abandoning criticism of Israel’s conduct.
Instead, its signatories insisted that the distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism matters precisely because artists and cultural figures have the power to shape public understanding.
The letter ultimately calls on those with that influence to use it carefully: to acknowledge Palestinian suffering, oppose antisemitism, and resist presenting contested legal claims as settled fact.
Prominent non-Jewish signatories included former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, ex-cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi and singer Boy George.
Commenting on the letter, Lipstadt said: “Those who accuse Israel of genocide, a very specific crime with a legally specific definition, are fulfilling the dictum attributed to the Nazi propagandist, Josef Goebbels: ‘If you tell a lie and keep repeating it enough, people will eventually come to believe it’.
“By October 10 [2023], accusations of genocide were common, even before Israel set foot in Gaza. Then it was extremist voices who made this charge. Now, people have come to believe the lie and to mindlessly repeat it.”