ILF launches dictionary to reclaim 'hijacked' terms related to October 7, Israel-Hamas war

“Three years of responses to the October 7 massacre and the multi-front war waged that day have exposed an additional existential warfront," said Cotler-Wunsh. 

On the third anniversary of October 7, the International Legal Forum launched its ‘Dictionary of Terms,’ an online resource aimed at reclaiming terms it argues have been hijacked and inverted by anti-Israel activists.

The Israel-based ILF is a network of 4,000 lawyers led by CEO Michal Cotler-Wunsh.

Cotler-Wunsh took to social media today to announce the release of the Dictionary of Terms website (www.dictionaryofterms.org) with the hope that it will help “remember, reclaim, and renew the foundational principles of the law that have been systematically hijacked, redefined, inverted, and weaponized.”

“When terms such as “genocide,” “apartheid,” “war crimes,” and “crimes against humanity” are detached from their legal definitions and repurposed as weapons, the consequences extend far beyond the courtroom or classroom; the integrity of law itself risks collapse,” ILF said.

ILF describes a hijacked term as a word with a precise meaning in law or history that has been stripped of that meaning and repurposed as a political weapon.

The dictionary so far has nine terms, with six more in progress.

Users can submit terms to reclaim their original meanings

Under each term, a user can find the definition under international law, the background, examples, and a description of how the term has been weaponized and by whom.

There is also the option for users to submit a term.

“Three years of responses to the October 7 massacre and the multi-front war waged that day have exposed an additional existential warfront," said Cotler-Wunsh. 

“This resource, which remembers the origins of these terms, reclaims their original meaning, and renews the shared pledge to uphold and protect them equally and consistently–is vital to fighting and winning this raging war that threatens humanity and freedom.

Alongside the website launch is a social media campaign featuring international experts from around the world who have joined ILF in its mission. The list of experts includes Irwin Cotler, Gerald Steinberg, and Natan Sharansky.

Cotler-Wunsh told the Post that the dictionary is not just a resource "for lawyers" but for the general public which "uses these terms in this war of words."

“The target demographic is actually all individuals across places and spaces.”