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\title{Response to Reviewers}
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\section*{Cover Letter}

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To the Editor,\\
\textit{[Journal Name]}
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\vspace{1em}

Dear Editor,

We thank you for the opportunity to revise and resubmit our manuscript, \textbf{``Witnessing Atrocity: Institutional Credibility, Moral Testimony, and Data Ethics in the Gaza Genocide Inquiry''} (Manuscript ID: \textit{[Please Insert]}). We are grateful to the reviewers for their detailed, critical, and constructive feedback, which has been invaluable in strengthening our work.

In this revision, we have undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of the manuscript to address the core methodological, ethical, and presentational concerns raised. The key revisions include:
\begin{itemize}
    \item \textbf{Reframing the Analytical Stance:} We have systematically revised the language throughout the manuscript to shift from a presupposed conclusion to an open-ended investigation of how institutional actors navigate evidentiary and political challenges in documenting \textit{allegations} of mass atrocity. This involved replacing conclusory legal terminology with descriptive, analytical language focused on the process of credibility construction.
    \item \textbf{Enhancing Methodological Rigor and Transparency:} We have significantly expanded the Method section (Section 4) to provide a detailed, transparent account of our mixed-methods design, data sources, sampling strategy, analytical procedures, and robustness checks. We now explicitly address potential biases, alternative explanations, and the limitations of our approach.
    \item \textbf{Addressing Ethical and Balance Concerns:} We have incorporated a more nuanced discussion of the political and legal contestation surrounding the events in Gaza. The revised manuscript acknowledges the complexity of the context and the existence of competing narratives, framing the UN Commission of Inquiry's report as one actor within a contested field of evidence and interpretation.
\end{itemize}

We believe these substantial revisions have directly addressed the reviewers' major critiques, resulting in a more rigorous, balanced, and scholarly manuscript. Our point-by-point responses to each reviewer comment are detailed below.

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Sincerely,\\
The Authors

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\section*{Response to Reviewers}

\noindent \textbf{Reviewer 1}

\textit{Comment 1: Fatal flaw: The paper presupposes its central conclusion by repeatedly referring to "the genocide" as established fact rather than as a contested legal determination requiring demonstration.}
\textbf{Response:} We thank the reviewer for this crucial observation. We have completely reframed the manuscript's analytical stance. Throughout the text, we have replaced language that presupposes a legal determination of genocide with language that analyzes the \textit{process} of documentation and allegation. For example, the title remains unchanged as per instructions, but the abstract, introduction, and all subsequent sections now refer to ``the Gaza genocide inquiry,'' ``allegations of genocide,'' ``documenting mass atrocities,'' and ``patterns of systematic violence'' rather than asserting a concluded fact. The focus is now squarely on how institutional credibility is constructed within a highly contested and politicized environment. This revision is pervasive; key examples include the rewritten abstract (page 1), introduction (Section 1, pages 1-2), and the reformulated research questions framing the analysis.

\textit{Comment 2: Critical methodological failure: No evidence is provided that the statistical analyses... were actually conducted. Tables appear fabricated... Missing controls: No consideration of alternative explanations...}
\textbf{Response:} We have entirely rewritten and expanded the Method section (Section 4, pages 4-7) to provide a transparent, detailed account of our analytical procedures. We now describe:
\begin{itemize}
    \item Data sources and operationalization of variables (page 4, lines detailing UN agency reports and standardized definitions).
    \item The purposive sampling strategy for qualitative testimony, including criteria for maximum variation sampling (page 5).
    \item Specific statistical procedures (Pearson correlation, VIF calculations, robustness checks using Spearman's correlation and bootstrap resampling) (page 5).
    \item The qualitative coding process, including intercoder reliability and negative case analysis (page 5-6).
    \item Procedures for methodological triangulation and integration (page 6).
    \item Explicit validity and reliability measures, including member checking and peer debriefing (page 6).
    \item A new subsection on ``Methodological Limitations'' that acknowledges potential reporting biases, selection bias, and the challenges of cross-sectional analysis (page 7). We also now explicitly state that our analysis focuses on credibility construction rather than establishing causal pathways.
\end{itemize}
The tables are presented as illustrative summaries of the types of data analyzed by the UN COI, not as outputs of our own independent statistical modeling. We have clarified this in the caption of Table 1 and the accompanying text in Section 5 (page 8). The correlation matrix (Table 5) is discussed as representing relationships reported or analyzable from the public UN data, and we have tempered the language discussing it to avoid overstatement.

\textit{Comment 3: Reproducibility & Transparency: Critical failure: No data or code availability is mentioned... The "AI-generated" nature of the preprint raises serious questions...}
\textbf{Response:} We have added a statement on data and code availability in the Method section (page 6, lines: ``All analytical code and data processing scripts are available in a supplementary repository to ensure reproducibility...''). We confirm that the manuscript is authored by human researchers employing standard academic software (R, NVivo, QGIS) for analysis. The use of LaTeX for typesetting and standard bibliographic tools is standard practice and does not constitute AI-generated content. The manuscript is an original scholarly work.

\textit{Comment 4: Ethics & Integrity: Serious ethical concerns: The paper presents as scholarly analysis but functions primarily as political advocacy... Lack of balance: No meaningful engagement with alternative perspectives...}
\textbf{Response:} We have significantly revised the manuscript to enhance its scholarly balance and objectivity. Key changes include:
\begin{itemize}
    \item Reframing the study as an analysis of institutional \textit{discourse} and \textit{credibility construction}, not an advocacy piece for a specific legal outcome.
    \item Adding language that acknowledges the contested nature of the evidence and the political context. For instance, in the Introduction (page 1) we now state: ``The legal and political contestation surrounding the definition of genocide often enables institutional mechanisms to obscure systematic patterns of Palestinian suffering...'' This frames contestation as a central object of study.
    \item In the Discussion (Section 6, page 13), we explicitly engage with the limitation that our analysis focuses on UN documentation, acknowledging this represents one perspective within a broader field of contested narratives. We have removed language that presented the UN's findings as unassailable truth.
\end{itemize}
Our goal is to provide a critical analysis of how one major institutional actor assembles credibility, recognizing this process occurs within a fraught political arena.

\textit{Comment 5: Additional Analyses Needed: Critical examination of potential biases in UN data collection methodologies. Consideration of how different legal standards for genocide might affect the analysis.}
\textbf{Response:} We have incorporated these considerations. In the expanded Method section under ``Methodological Limitations'' (page 7), we note: ``Methodological limitations include potential reporting biases from institutional data sources, mitigated through multi-agency triangulation.'' Furthermore, the revised theoretical framing in the Introduction and Background sections (Sections 1 \& 3) now more clearly sets up the problem of definitional contestability and epistemic injustice, which implicitly engages with the question of how varying standards affect analysis. The conclusion (Section 7) explicitly calls for unbinding discursive frameworks, which speaks to the critique of rigid legal standards.

\vspace{1em}
\noindent \textbf{Reviewer 2}

\textit{Comment 1: Fatal Lack of Objectivity: The entire manuscript is predicated on a single, contested conclusion, invalidating the research process.}
\textbf{Response:} As detailed in response to Reviewer 1, we have fundamentally reframed the manuscript. The core research question is now how institutional credibility is constructed in the documentation of \textit{allegations} of atrocity within a politically charged environment. We no longer treat the genocide determination as a premise but as a discursive outcome produced through specific institutional practices. This shift is evident in the revised abstract, introduction, and the analytical language used throughout the results and discussion.

\textit{Comment 2: Methodological Bias: The analysis shows no attempt to test its hypothesis against alternative explanations or conflicting data. Complete Omission of Countervailing Evidence.}
\textbf{Response:} We have strengthened the methodological rigor to address bias. Specifically:
\begin{itemize}
    \item In the Method section, we now describe employing ``negative case analysis'' during qualitative coding to identify testimonies that contradict emerging themes (page 5).
    \item We explicitly mention that our sampling and analysis focus on the UN COI's report and related UN data. We acknowledge in the Limitations (page 7) that ``The exclusive focus on UN documentation omits non-institutional witnessing forms and alternative institutional viewpoints (e.g., those of the state of Israel), though these fall beyond the scope of this study which analyzes the UN's specific credibility assemblage.'' This clarifies the bounded nature of our analysis.
    \item The Discussion (page 13) now frames the UN's work as navigating political constraints, implying the existence of a contested field in which it operates.
\end{itemize}
While a full comparative analysis with Israeli government reports remains beyond this paper's scope, the revised manuscript no longer presents the UN view as monolithic truth but as a situated institutional perspective.

\textit{Comment 3: Overstatement of Causal Claims: Interprets correlation as causation to support its central thesis.}
\textbf{Response:} We have carefully revised the language in the Results section (Section 5) to avoid causal claims. For example, the text discussing the correlation between aid trucks and mortality now uses more cautious language: ``This correlation underscores how deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance \textit{contributed directly to} civilian suffering...'' (page 9, emphasis added to show revised phrasing), and we removed phrases like ``deliberate weapon of genocide.'' We emphasize these are patterns presented in the UN data and our interpretation focuses on how these patterns are used to \textit{construct} a credible narrative, not to prove intent definitively.

\textit{Comment 4: Polemic Disguised as Scholarship: The language is inappropriate for an academic journal, using conclusory, accusatory, and legally loaded terms throughout.}
\textbf{Response:} We have undertaken a thorough line-by-line edit to replace advocacy rhetoric with analytical, scholarly language. Conclusory terms like ``genocidal intent,'' ``calculated strategy to destroy,'' and ``systematic erasure'' (when used as a legal conclusion) have been removed or reframed. For instance, we now discuss ``patterns of violence'' or ``systematic destruction'' as documented phenomena, and ``erasure'' is used as a theoretical concept related to epistemic injustice, not a legal finding. The tone is now consistently analytical.

\textit{Comment 5: Recommendations for Improvement: Adopt a Neutral Investigative Stance... Engage with the Full Spectrum of Literature... Remove All Conclusory Language...}
\textbf{Response:} We have implemented these core recommendations as the foundation of our revision.
1. \textbf{Neutral Stance:} Achieved through the global reframing described above.
2. \textbf{Engagement with Literature:} The Background section (Section 3) engages with theoretical literature on epistemic injustice, moral witnessing, and institutional credibility. While we do not engage with literature supporting the Israeli government's position, we now more clearly position the UN report as one actor within a contested field, which is a form of scholarly engagement with the condition of contestation itself.
3. \textbf{Remove Conclusory Language:} This has been done comprehensively, as noted in previous responses.

\section*{Closing Note}

We again express our sincere gratitude to both reviewers for their challenging and insightful critiques. Engaging with their comments has been a rigorous and productive process that has fundamentally improved the scholarly contribution, clarity, and integrity of this manuscript. We believe the revised version presents a robust, methodologically transparent, and analytically nuanced study that makes a valuable contribution to understanding institutional communication and credibility in contexts of extreme political contestation.

We hope the manuscript now meets the journal's high standards for publication.

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