Bill maher and Ari Emanuel debate over israel, gaza and “genocide” Bill Maher: “Gaza is a genocide” is a lie they’re making everybody say. If you say that, you’re far-left. You don’t know history or facts. I proved it on my show. Ari Emanuel: Do you know who came up with the word genocide? It was coined in 1944 by a Jewish man who survived the Holocaust. There was no word for what had happened. That is genocide. And I think people want to use that word against Israel because it’s such an evil word. They want to take a word that described what happened to Jews and put it on Israel to make the country look evil. Bill Maher: If you believe someone is guilty of genocide, it gives you permission to hate them. Who wouldn’t hate a genocidist? You can hate Israel. You can hate Jews. Just don’t change the meaning of the word, because it has tremendous power. Genocide means the destruction of an entire people. If Israel wanted to kill an entire people, it certainly has the means to do it. MY TAKE: The word “genocide” carries enormous weight, but so does the responsibility to examine the evidence. Criticizing Israel and debating whether its actions meet the legal definition of genocide are not the same thing. The question is whether the facts support the label, not whether the label is politically convenient.