American political scientist and international relations analyst John Mearsheimer has claimed that Israel’s declared military objectives in Gaza were not achieved and that the underlying aim was to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the territory. He made the remarks on May 15 at an event organized by the Centre for Independent Studies in Australia, where he said Western media rarely discuss the true purpose of the Gaza war.

According to Mearsheimer, Israel faces two options to maintain its current state structure: an apartheid-based system, which he believes already exists, or ethnic cleansing, which he said was attempted in Gaza but failed. He argued that removing Palestinians from Gaza would require killing large numbers of civilians and making the area uninhabitable so that people would be forced to leave.

Mearsheimer noted that he was initially reluctant to describe Israel’s actions as genocide at the start of the Gaza war but said his position changed after December 2023. He now believes Israel’s conduct in Gaza amounts to genocide.