Thoughts from Eugene Volokh.

The problem to me is that we’ve overbroadened the definition of genocide to the point that it’s lost useful meaning. I don’t agree that simply killing large numbers of an ethnic group justifies being called that. While what the Japanese did in Manchuria was atrocious and horrific, and clearly a war crime, I don’t think that it was genocide, because I don’t think (correct me if I’m wrong historians) that it was done with an intent to wipe an ethnicity off the face of the planet. Similarly, while what we did in Dresden and Tokyo and other cities was arguably a war crime, it was not genocide. But what the Nazis did clearly was, and what Hamas is calling for, and those college students are supporting (“gas the Jews”) clearly is.