>No, it's because EVERY conflict in which large numbers
>of civilians die is called "genocide" nowadays. Sudan,
>Viet-Nam, Kosovo, Israel-Palestine, Chechnya,
>everything. It has little to do with the Israelis
>being Jewish. It is an emotive term (WAR BAD!) with
>little descriptive value.
It may be as you say an emotive term, but you forgot to mention that it is a serious issue. It is also a term which is defined by the UN General Assembly. Simply put, genocide is defined as certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or part any national, ethnical, racial or religious group. The crucial element of the crime is motive, that is intent to destroy a group. Killing large numbers of people is not necessarily genocide, war is not genocide. It is not even necessary to kill anyone.
You may not like the official definition, but if you believe that it has no real meaning, you would be wrong. Its there in black and white. Frankly, you shouldn't be so dismissive of the concept.
http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Adopted by Resolution 260 (III) A of the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948.
Article 1 The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.
Article 2 In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
* (a) Killing members of the group;
* (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
* (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
* (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
* (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Article 3 The following acts shall be punishable:
* (a) Genocide;
* (b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;
* (c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
* (d) Attempt to commit genocide;
* (e) Complicity in genocide.
Article 4 Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article 3 shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.