An Issue of Justice: Origins of the Israel/Palestine Conflict

by Norman G. Finkelstein

Finkelstein lays out the history of the Israel/Palestine conflict with clarity and passion, arguing that any other similar conflict would be perfectly understood, yet this one exists beneath a blanket of ideological fog. Finkelstein cuts through the fog with indisputable historical facts, optimistic that the struggle is winnable, and that it is simply an issue of justice. Norman Finkelstein was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1953. He is the son of two Holocaust survivors. He received his doctorate from Princeton University for a thesis on the theory of Zionism. He is the author of four books, including The Holocaust Industry . His writings have also appeared in many prestigious journals. Currently he teaches political science at DePaul University in Chicago.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Politics

1 pages, Audio CD

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Norman Gary Finkelstein, is an American political scientist and activist. His primary fields of research are the politics of the Holocaust and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Son of a holocaust survivor, Finkelstein is a fierce critic of Israeli policy, especially toward Palestinians. He has had a tense rivalry with his pro-Israel counterpart, Alan Dershowitz. In 2007 DePaul University denied his tenure, a decision for which Dershowitz lobbied. For his views and suspected connections to anti-Zionist groups, Israel has denied Finkelstein entry and banned him from the country for a decade.

Reviews

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finkelstein's discussion brings a much needed perspective to the causes and reasons of the on-going Israel conflict. We hear pro-Israeli viewpoints on a fairly regular basis, which tend to condemn and group the majority of Palestinians as terrorists. Admitedly, there are enough situations to sustain that viewpoint. Palestinian perspectives are less frequently offered in mainstream U.S. publications. If a Palestinian perspective is offered, such as ex-President Carter's book "Palestine, Peace not Apartheid", it's almost always labeled as "anti-semetic" or dismissed as naive. In this case, I see Finkelstein as trying to present an often missing and unstated perspective to bring balance and understanding of the issues which lead to the continuing conflict in the region. It's definitely worth reading.

[Mirko Kriskovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can you say about this book? Only that you will find faultless research, a sharp wit and eye for detail, clear prose, only apply to read if you feel that The Law applies to everybody alike, apologists may be better off sticking to Benny Morris version of history

[Tanveer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This talk by Finkelstein covers different areas of the conflict, as much as someone can in 1 hour. He also talks about his attempts to bring forth the truth of Alan Dershowitz's "book".

[Mandi Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

What A Hypocrite
Written by Mandi Chestler on August 30th, 2006
Book Rating: 1/5
I gave this a 1-star rating because the review guidelines didn't offer a 0-rating. Finkelstein is one of those completely annoying and hypocritical "intellectuals" who claim to offer an unbiased look at an issue, but instead cherry-picks the "facts" to present an off-the-charts one-sided point-of-view. It seems Norman Finkelstein got his talking points from Syrian President Assad and Iranian President Ahmedinejad, then used his academic credentials to pretend to offer an objective look at a conflict where both sides have made mistakes. He capitalizes on the currently "hip" trend of the radical far left to see terrorists like Hezbollah and Hamas as blameless victims that just can't help it if they decide to blow up innocent people with suicide bombers, or lauch bombs at Jews from the basement of civilian Palestinian apartment buildings. I've got news for Finkelstein, if he continues to peddle this dribble, a truly terrible situation will take much longer to resolve.