 = Norman Finkelstein = 
 
 Norman Gary Finkelstein ( born December 8 , 1953 ) is an American political scientist , activist , professor , and author . His primary fields of research are the Israeli – Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust , an interest motivated by the experiences of his parents who were Jewish Holocaust survivors . He is a graduate of Binghamton University and received his <unk> in political science at Princeton University . He has held faculty positions at Brooklyn College , Rutgers University , Hunter College , New York University , and DePaul University where he was an assistant professor from 2001 to 2007 . 
 In 2007 , after a highly publicized feud between Finkelstein and an academic opponent , Alan Dershowitz , Finkelstein 's tenure bid at DePaul was denied . Finkelstein was placed on administrative leave for the 2007 – 2008 academic year , and on September 5 , 2007 , he announced his resignation after coming to a settlement with the university on generally undisclosed terms . An official statement from DePaul strongly defended the decision to deny Finkelstein tenure , stated that outside influence played no role in the decision . In 2008 , he was banned from entering Israel for 10 years . 
 Finkelstein taught at <unk> University Middle East Institute in Turkey between 2014 and 2015 . 
 
 = = Personal background and education = = 
 
 Finkelstein has written of his Jewish parents ' experiences during World War II . His mother , <unk> <unk> , grew up in Warsaw , survived the Warsaw <unk> , the <unk> concentration camp , and two slave labor camps . Her first husband died in the war . She considered the day of her liberation as the most horrible day of her life , as she realized that she was alone , her parents and siblings gone . Norman 's father , <unk> Finkelstein , active in <unk> <unk> , was a survivor of both the Warsaw <unk> and the Auschwitz concentration camp . 
 After the war they met in a displaced persons camp in <unk> , Austria , and then emigrated to the United States , where his father became a factory worker and his mother a homemaker and later a <unk> . Finkelstein 's mother was an ardent pacifist . Both his parents died in 1995 . Of his parents , Finkelstein has recalled that " they saw the world through the <unk> of the Nazi Holocaust . They were <unk> indebted to the Soviet Union ( to whom they attributed the defeat of the Nazis ) , and so anyone who was anti @-@ Soviet they were extremely harsh on " . They supported the Soviet Union 's approval of the creation of the State of Israel , as <unk> by <unk> , who stated that the Jews had earned the right to a state , but thought that Israel had sold its soul to the West and " refused to have any truck with it " . 
 Finkelstein grew up in Borough Park , then Mill Basin , both in Brooklyn , New York , where he attended James Madison High School . In his memoir , Finkelstein recalls his strong youthful identification with the outrage that his mother , witness to the <unk> atrocities of World War II , felt at the carnage wrought by the United States in Vietnam . One childhood friend recalls his mother 's " emotional investment in left @-@ wing humanitarian causes as bordering on <unk> " . He had " <unk> [ her ] <unk> " , a trait which he admits rendered him " <unk> " when talking of the Vietnam War , and which <unk> him with a " <unk> @-@ than @-@ thou " attitude at the time which he now regrets . But Finkelstein regards his absorption of his mother 's outlook — the refusal to put aside a sense of moral outrage in order to get on with one 's life — as a virtue . Subsequently , his reading of Noam Chomsky played an important role in <unk> the passion bequeathed to him by his mother to the necessity of maintaining intellectual rigor . 
 Finkelstein completed his undergraduate studies at Binghamton University in New York in 1974 , after which he studied at the École <unk> des <unk> Études in Paris . A deep admirer of Paul <unk> , he was an ardent <unk> and was devastated by the news of the trial of the Gang of Four , an event which " totally devastated " him , and led him to abandon <unk> – <unk> . 
 Finkelstein received his Master 's degree in political science in 1980 , and later his PhD in political studies , from Princeton . His doctoral thesis was on Zionism . Before gaining academic employment , Finkelstein was a part @-@ time social worker with teenage <unk> in New York . He then taught successively at Rutgers University , New York University , Brooklyn College , and Hunter College and at DePaul University in Chicago . During the First Intifada , he spent every summer from 1988 in the West Bank , a guest of Palestinian families in Hebron and Beit <unk> . 
 According to The New York Times , Finkelstein left Hunter College in 2001 , " after his teaching load and salary were reduced " by the college administration . In his own recollection , he enjoyed teaching at Hunter ( 1992 – 2000 ) and was ' <unk> kicked out of ' the school after <unk> them to keep him on with just two courses a semester ( $ 12 @,@ 000 a year ) . Hunter set conditions that would have required him to spend four days a week , which he thought unacceptable . 
 Beginning with his doctoral thesis at Princeton , Finkelstein 's career has been marked by controversy . A self @-@ described " forensic scholar " , he has written sharply critical academic reviews of several prominent writers and scholars whom he accuses of <unk> the documentary record in order to defend Israel 's policies and practices . His writings have dealt with politically charged topics such as Zionism , the demographic history of Palestine and his allegations of the existence of a " Holocaust Industry " that exploits the memory of the Holocaust to further Israeli and financial interests . 
 Citing linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky as an example , Finkelstein notes that it is " possible to unite exacting scholarly rigor with scathing moral outrage , " and supporters and detractors alike have remarked on the polemical style of Finkelstein 's work . Its content has been praised by eminent historians such as Raul Hilberg and Avi Shlaim , as well as Chomsky . 
 Finkelstein has described himself as " an old @-@ fashioned communist , " in the sense that he " see [ s ] no value whatsoever in states . " 
 
 = = Academic career = = 
 
 
 = = = On From Time Immemorial = = = 
 
 In Finkelstein 's doctoral thesis , he examined the claims made in Joan Peters 's From Time Immemorial , a best @-@ selling book at the time . Peters 's " history and defense " of Israel deals with the demographic history of Palestine . <unk> studies had tended to assert that the Arab population of Ottoman @-@ controlled Palestine , a 94 % majority at the turn of the century , had dwindled towards parity due to massive Zionist immigration . Peters radically challenged this picture by arguing that a substantial part of the Palestinian people were descended from immigrants from other Arab countries from the early 19th century onwards . It followed , for Peters and many of her readers , that the picture of a native Palestinian population overwhelmed by Jewish immigration was little more than propaganda , and that in actuality two almost simultaneous waves of immigration met in what had been a relatively unpopulated land . 
 From Time Immemorial had been praised by figures as varied as Barbara <unk> , Theodore H. White , Elie Wiesel , and Lucy <unk> . Saul <unk> , for one , wrote in a jacket endorsement that : 
 " Millions of people the world over , smothered by false history and propaganda , will be grateful for this clear account of the origins of the Palestinians . " 
 Finkelstein asserted that the book was a " monumental hoax " . He later opined that , while Peters 's book received widespread interest and approval in the United States , a scholarly demonstration of its <unk> and <unk> aroused little attention : 
 " By the end of 1984 , From Time Immemorial had ... received some two hundred [ favorable ] notices ... in the United States . The only ' false ' notes in this <unk> chorus of praise were the Journal of Palestine Studies , which ran a highly critical review by Bill Farrell ; the small Chicago @-@ based <unk> In These Times , which published a <unk> version of this writer 's findings ; and Alexander Cockburn , who devoted a series of columns in The Nation exposing the hoax . ... The periodicals in which From Time Immemorial had already been favorably reviewed refused to run any critical correspondence ( e.g. The New Republic , The Atlantic Monthly , <unk> ) . <unk> that had yet to review the book rejected a manuscript on the subject as of little or no consequence ( e.g. The Village Voice , <unk> , The New York Review of Books ) . Not a single national newspaper or columnist contacted found <unk> that a best @-@ selling , <unk> praised ' study ' of the Middle East conflict was a <unk> hoax . " 
 Noam Chomsky later <unk> : 
 " I warned him , if you follow this , you 're going to get in trouble — because you 're going to expose the American intellectual community as a gang of <unk> , and they are not going to like it , and they 're going to destroy you . " 
 In 1986 , the New York Review of Books published <unk> <unk> 's review and an exchange with critics of the review in which he criticized the assumptions and evidence on which Peters 's thesis relied , thus lending independent support from an expert in Palestinian demographics to Finkelstein 's doctoral critique . 
 In the house journal of the American Council on Foreign Relations , Foreign Affairs , William B. <unk> , the Edward <unk> professor of Politics at the University of Virginia and authority on Middle Eastern politics , later described Finkelstein 's critique of From Time Immemorial as a " landmark essay " and a " victory to his credit " , in its " demonstration " of the " <unk> scholarship " of Peters ' book . Israeli historian Avi Shlaim later praised Finkelstein 's thesis , saying that it had established his credentials when he was still a doctoral student . In Shlaim 's view , Finkelstein had produced an " <unk> case " with " <unk> evidence " , proving that Peters ' book was both " preposterous and worthless " . 
 According to Noam Chomsky , the controversy that surrounded Finkelstein 's research caused a delay in his earning his Ph.D. at Princeton University . Chomsky wrote in Understanding Power that Finkelstein " literally could not get the faculty to read [ his dissertation ] " and that Princeton eventually granted Finkelstein his doctorate only " out of embarrassment [ for Princeton ] " but refused to give him any further professional backing . 
 Finkelstein published portions of his thesis in the following publications : 
 " <unk> and the Palestine Question : The Not @-@ So @-@ Strange Case of Joan Peters 's From Time Immemorial " , Chapter 2 of <unk> the Victims : <unk> Scholarship and the Palestinian Question ( 1988 ) ; and 
 " A Land Without a People ( Joan Peters ' " Wilderness " Image ) " , Chapter 2 of Image and Reality of the Israel @-@ Palestine Conflict ( 1995 ) . 
 
 = = = The Holocaust Industry = = = 
 
 The Holocaust Industry : Reflections on the <unk> of Jewish Suffering was published in 2000 . Here , Finkelstein argues that Elie Wiesel and others exploit the memory of the Holocaust as an " ideological weapon . " The purpose , writes Finkelstein , is to enable the State of Israel , " one of the world 's most formidable military powers , with a <unk> human rights record , [ to ] cast itself as a victim state ; " that is , to provide Israel " immunity to criticism . " He <unk> what he calls a " double shakedown " by " a repellent gang of <unk> , <unk> and <unk> " seeking enormous legal damages and financial settlements from Germany and Switzerland , <unk> which then go to the lawyers and institutional actors involved in <unk> them , rather than actual Holocaust survivors . 
 The book received a hostile reception in some quarters , with critics charging that it was poorly researched and / or allowed others to exploit it for antisemitic purposes . The German historian Hans <unk> disparaged the first edition as " a most trivial book , which appeals to easily aroused anti @-@ Semitic prejudices " . Israeli Holocaust historian Israel <unk> called the book " a <unk> " , stating " this is not research ; it isn 't even political literature ... I don 't even think it should be reviewed or critiqued as a legitimate book . " The book was also harshly criticized by Brown University Professor Omer Bartov and University of Chicago Professor Peter <unk> . 
 However , <unk> Holocaust scholar Raul Hilberg said the book expressed views Hilberg himself subscribed to in substance , in that he too found the exploitation of the Holocaust , as Finkelstein describes , " <unk> " . Asked on another occasion if Finkelstein 's analysis might play into the hands of neo @-@ Nazis for antisemitic purposes , Hilberg replied : " Well , even if they do use it in that fashion , I 'm afraid that when it comes to the truth , it has to be said openly , without regard to any consequences that would be undesirable , embarrassing " . 
 Other critics claim Finkelstein 's evidence is highly selective and / or dubious and that his arguments would be based on a <unk> of history and a questionable use of sources . The historian David <unk> wrote that while Finkelstein <unk> Swiss banks of serious <unk> towards Holocaust survivors and depicts them as victims of a Jewish terror based on a sentence from an important report annex , he had ignored the report body which describes <unk> actions by Swiss banks , inappropriate closing of accounts , failure to keep adequate records , and so on . 
 
 = = = Criticism of Alan Dershowitz 's The Case for Israel = = = 
 
 Shortly after the publication of the book The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz , Finkelstein derided it as " a collection of fraud , <unk> , plagiarism , and nonsense " . During a debate on Democracy Now ! , Finkelstein asserted that Dershowitz lacked knowledge about specific contents of his own book . He also claimed that Dershowitz did not write the book , and may not have even read it . 
 Finkelstein noted 20 instances , in as many pages , where Dershowitz 's book cites the same sources and passages used by Joan Peters in her book , in largely the same sequence , with <unk> in the same places . In two instances , Dershowitz <unk> Peters 's errors ( see below ) . From this Finkelstein concluded that Dershowitz had not checked the original sources himself , contrary to the latter 's claims . Finkelstein suggests that this copying of quotations amounts to copying ideas . Examining a copy of a proof of Dershowitz 's book he managed to obtain , he found evidence that Dershowitz had his <unk> assistant , Holly Beth Billington , check in the Harvard library the sources he had read in Peters 's book . Dershowitz answered the charge in a letter to the University of California 's Press Director <unk> <unk> , arguing that Finkelstein had made up the smoking gun quotation , in that he had changed its wording ( from ' cite ' to ' copy ' ) in his book . In public debate he has stated that if " somebody borrowed the quote without going to check back on whether Mark Twain had said that , obviously that would be a serious charge " ; however , he insisted emphatically that he himself did not do that , that he had indeed checked the original source by Twain . 
 Dershowitz threatened libel action over the charges in Finkelstein 's book , as a consequence of which , the publisher deleted the word " plagiarism " from the text before publication . Finkelstein agreed to remove the suggestion that Dershowitz was not the true author of The Case for Israel because , as the publisher said , " he couldn 't document that " . 
 <unk> that he did consult the original sources , Dershowitz said Finkelstein is simply accusing him of good scholarly practice : citing references he learned of initially from Peters 's book . Dershowitz denies that he used any of Peters 's ideas without citation . " <unk> is taking someone else 's words and claiming they 're your own . There are no borrowed words from anybody . There are no borrowed ideas from anybody because I fundamentally disagree with the conclusions of Peters 's book . " In a footnote in The Case for Israel which cites Peters 's book , Dershowitz explicitly denies that he " relies " on Peters for " conclusions or data " . 
 In their joint interview on Democracy Now , however , Finkelstein cited specific passages in Dershowitz 's book in which a phrase that he says Peters coined was incorrectly attributed to George Orwell : 
 " [ Peters ] coins the phrase , ' turnspeak ' , she says she 's using it as a play off of George Orwell which as all listeners know used the phrase ' <unk> . ' She coined her own phrase , ' turnspeak ' . You go to Mr. Dershowitz 's book , he got so confused in his massive <unk> from Joan Peters that on two occasions , I 'll cite them for those who have a copy of the book , on page 57 and on page 153 he uses the phrase , quote , George Orwell 's ' turnspeak ' . ' <unk> ' is not Orwell , Mr. Dershowitz , you 're the Felix Frankfurter chair at Harvard , you must know that Orwell would never use such a <unk> phrase as ' turnspeak ' " . 
 James O. <unk> , the former president of Dartmouth College , the University of Iowa , and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , has defended Dershowitz : 
 I do not understand [ Finkelstein 's ] charge of plagiarism against Alan Dershowitz . There is no claim that Dershowitz used the words of others without attribution . When he uses the words of others , he quotes them properly and generally cites them to the original sources ( Mark Twain , Palestine Royal Commission , etc . ) [ Finkelstein 's ] complaint is that instead he should have cited them to the secondary source , in which Dershowitz may have come upon them . But as The Chicago Manual of Style emphasizes : ' Importance of attribution . With all reuse of others ' materials , it is important to identify the original as the source . This not only <unk> the claims of fair use , it also helps avoid any accusation of plagiarism . ' This is precisely what Dershowitz did . 
 Responding to an article in The Nation by Alexander Cockburn , Dershowitz also cited The Chicago Manual of Style : 
 Cockburn 's claim is that some of the quotes should not have been cited to their original sources but rather to a secondary source , where he believes I stumbled upon them . Even if he were correct that I found all these quotations in Peters 's book , the preferred method of citation is to the original source , as The Chicago Manual of Style emphasizes : " With all reuse of others ' materials , it is important to identify the original as the source . This ... helps avoid any accusation of plagiarism ... To cite a source from a secondary source ( ' quoted in ... ' ) is generally to be discouraged .... " 
 ... to which Cockburn responded : 
 Quoting The Chicago Manual of Style , Dershowitz <unk> implies that he followed the rules by citing " the original " as opposed to the secondary source , Peters . He <unk> Chicago here , where " the original " means merely the origin of the borrowed material , which is , in this instance , Peters . 
 Now look at the second bit of the quote from Chicago , <unk> separated from the preceding sentence by a demure three @-@ point <unk> . As my associate Kate Levin has discovered , this passage ( " To cite a source from a secondary source ... " ) occurs on page <unk> , which is no less than 590 pages later than the material before the <unk> , in a section titled " <unk> Taken from Secondary Sources . " Here 's the full quote , with what Dershowitz left out set in bold : " ' <unk> in ' . To cite a source from a secondary source ( " quoted in " ) is generally to be discouraged , since authors are expected to have examined the works they cite . If an original source is unavailable , however , both the original and the secondary source must be listed . " 
 So Chicago is clearly insisting that unless Dershowitz went to the originals , he was obliged to cite Peters . Finkelstein has conclusively demonstrated that he didn 't go to the originals . <unk> , <unk> , plus added time for <unk> distortion of the language of Chicago 's guidelines , <unk> together two separate discussions . 
 On behalf of Dershowitz , Harvard Law School dean <unk> <unk> asked former Harvard president Derek Bok to investigate the assertion of plagiarism ; Bok <unk> Dershowitz of the charge . 
 In an April 3 , 2007 interview with the Harvard Crimson , " Dershowitz confirmed that he had sent a letter last September to DePaul faculty members lobbying against Finkelstein 's tenure . " 
 In April 2007 , Dr. Frank <unk> , a former Editor @-@ in @-@ Chief of the UCLA Law Review , published an analysis of the charges made against Finkelstein by Dershowitz , finding no merit in any single charge and concluding that Dershowitz had misrepresented matters . In a follow @-@ up analysis he concluded that he could find ' no way of avoiding the inference that Dershowitz copied the quotation from Twain from Peters 's From Time Immemorial , and not from the original source ' , as Dershowitz claimed . In an interview given for the film American Radical : The Trials of Norman Finkelstein in 2009 , Dershowitz said of Finkelstein : " I don 't think he is a Jew . He 's Jewish only on his parents ' side . " 
 
 = = Controversies = = 
 
 
 = = = <unk> denial and resignation = = = 
 
 In September 2006 , Dershowitz sent members of DePaul 's law and political science faculties what he described as " a <unk> of Norman Finkelstein 's most <unk> academic sins , and especially his outright lies , <unk> , and distortions " and lobbied professors , alumni and administrators to deny Finkelstein tenure . De Paul 's political science committee investigated his accusations against Finkelstein and concluded that they were not based on legitimate criticism . The department subsequently invited John <unk> and Ian <unk> , two independent academics with known expertise on the Israel – Palestine conflict , to evaluate the academic merit of Finkelstein 's work ; they came to the same conclusion . 
 Also in 2006 , the Washington Post noted " the <unk> repeatedly accused " Norman Finkelstein of being a " Holocaust <unk> " and that " These charges have proved <unk> . " Finkelstein 's mother survived the <unk> concentration camp , his father survived the Auschwitz concentration camp , and most of his family died in the Holocaust 
 In early 2007 , the DePaul Political Science Department voted nine to three , and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Personnel Committee five to zero , in favor of giving Finkelstein tenure . The three opposing faculty members subsequently filed a minority report opposing tenure , supported by the Dean of the College , Chuck Suchar . Suchar stated he opposed tenure because Finkelstein 's " personal and reputation <unk> attacks on Dershowitz , Benny Morris , and the <unk> authors Elie Wiesel and Jerzy <unk> " were inconsistent with DePaul 's " <unk> " values ; as examples of the latter , Suchar argued that Finkelstein lacked respect for " the dignity of the individual " and for " the rights of others to hold and express different intellectual positions " . <unk> considerable public debate , Dershowitz actively campaigned to block Finkelstein 's tenure bid . In June 2007 , a 4 – 3 vote by DePaul University 's Board on Promotion and <unk> ( a faculty board ) , affirmed by the university 's president , the Rev. Dennis <unk> , denied Finkelstein tenure . 
 The university denied that Dershowitz , who had been criticized for his campaign against Finkelstein 's tenure , played any part in this decision . At the same time , the university denied tenure to international studies assistant professor <unk> <unk> , a strong supporter of Finkelstein , despite unanimous support from her department , the Personnel Committee and the dean . Finkelstein stated that he would engage in civil disobedience if attempts were made to bar him from teaching his students . 
 The Faculty Council later affirmed the right of <unk> Finkelstein and <unk> to appeal , which a university lawyer said was not possible . Council President Anne Bartlett said she was " ' terribly concerned ' correct procedure was not followed " . DePaul 's faculty association considered taking no @-@ confidence votes on administrators , including the president , because of the tenure <unk> . In a statement issued upon Finkelstein 's resignation , DePaul called him " a prolific scholar and an outstanding teacher " . Dershowitz expressed outrage at the compromise and this statement in particular , saying that the university had " traded truth for peace " . 
 In June 2007 , after two weeks of protests , some DePaul students staged a sit @-@ in and hunger strike in support of both professors denied tenure . The Illinois Conference of the American Association of University <unk> also sent a letter to the university 's president stating : " It is entirely illegitimate for a university to deny tenure to a professor out of fear that his published research ... might hurt a college 's reputation " and that the association has " explicitly rejected <unk> as an appropriate criterion for evaluating faculty members " . In a 2014 interview , professor Matthew Abraham , author of Out of <unk> : Academic Freedom and the Question of Palestine , described the Finkelstein tenure case as " one of the most significant academic freedom cases in the last fifty years " , claiming the case demonstrated " the substantial pressure outside parties can place on a mid @-@ tier religious institution when the perspectives advanced by a controversial scholar threaten dominant interests " . 
 
 = = = <unk> entry to Israel in 2008 = = = 
 
 On May 23 , 2008 , Finkelstein was denied entry to Israel , according to unnamed Shin Bet security officials , because " of suspicions involving hostile elements in Lebanon " and that he " did not give a full accounting to <unk> with regard to these suspicions . " Finkelstein had previously visited south Lebanon and met with Lebanese families during the 2006 Lebanon War . He was banned from entering Israel for 10 years . 
 Finkelstein was questioned after his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and detained for 24 hours in a holding cell . After speaking to Israeli attorney Michael <unk> he was placed on a flight back to Amsterdam , his point of origin . In an interview with <unk> , Finkelstein stated " I did my best to provide absolutely <unk> and comprehensive answers to all the questions put to me . I am confident that I have nothing to hide ... no suicide missions or secret rendezvous with terrorist organizations . " He had been travelling to visit friends in the West Bank and stated he had no interest in visiting Israel . <unk> said banning Finkelstein from entering the country " recalls the behavior of the Soviet bloc countries " . 
 
 = = Reception = = 
 
 Finkelstein 's books are an attempt to examine the works of mainstream scholarship . The authors whose work he has thus targeted , including Daniel <unk> Goldhagen and Dershowitz , along with others such as Benny Morris whose work Finkelstein has also cited in his scholarship , have in turn accused Finkelstein of grossly <unk> their work , and selectively quoting from their books . 
 According to Raul Hilberg , Finkelstein displays " academic courage to speak the truth when no one else is out there to support him ... I would say that his place in the whole history of writing history is assured , and that those who in the end are proven right triumph , and he will be among those who will have triumphed , albeit , it so seems , at great cost . " In a peer review for Beyond Chutzpah , Avi Shlaim said that Finkelstein " has a most impressive track record in exposing <unk> American @-@ Jewish scholarship on the Arab @-@ Israeli conflict . " He praised Finkelstein for " all the sterling qualities for which he has become famous : <unk> , originality , spark , meticulous attention to detail , intellectual integrity , courage , and formidable forensic skills . " 
 Sara Roy stated that her shared experience with Finkelstein as a child of Holocaust survivors engaged in research on the Palestinian @-@ Israeli conflict gave her a unique position to comment . According to Roy , Finkelstein 's scholarship is , " exceptional both for its <unk> and rigor . In the fields of Middle Eastern studies and political science his work is considered seminal and there is no doubt that both disciplines would be <unk> weaker without it . Norman 's power and value , however , do not <unk> only from his scholarship but from his character . His life ’ s work , shaped largely but not entirely by his experience as a child of survivors has been and continues to be informed by a profound concern with human dignity and the danger of <unk> . " 
 The Israeli newspaper , <unk> , stated that " [ i ] t is difficult to <unk> with Finkelstein 's opinions and preferences , especially since he decided to support Hezbollah , meet with its fighters and visit the graves of some of its slain operatives . " Still , it continued to say that he should not be banned from entering Israel , because " meetings with Hezbollah operatives do not in themselves constitute a security risk " . 
 
 = = = 2009 film about Finkelstein = = = 
 
 American Radical : The Trials of Norman Finkelstein is an award @-@ winning documentary film about the life and career of Norman Finkelstein , released in 2009 and directed by David <unk> and Nicolas <unk> . It has been screened in Amsterdam <unk> , in Toronto Hot <unk> and in more than 40 other national and international venues , it received a freshness rating of 100 % on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes . The same year Finkelstein appeared in Defamation ( Hebrew : <unk> ; translit . <unk> ) a documentary film by award @-@ winning Israeli filmmaker <unk> <unk> . 
 
 = = = Criticism = = = 
 
 Criticism has been leveled against Finkelstein from several angles . The first sources are responses from those whose work Finkelstein has discussed . Daniel Goldhagen , whose book Hitler 's <unk> <unk> Finkelstein criticized , claimed his scholarship has " everything to do with his burning political agenda " . Alan Dershowitz has written that Peter <unk> , Professor of History at the University of Chicago and a noted Holocaust historian whose work Finkelstein says inspired The Holocaust Industry , has strongly criticized the latter 's work , describing it as " trash " . Similarly , Dershowitz , whose book The Case for Israel and Finkelstein 's response Beyond Chutzpah sparked an ongoing feud between the two , has claimed Finkelstein 's <unk> in a conspiracy against pro @-@ Israel scholars : " The mode of attack is consistent . Chomsky selects the target and directs Finkelstein to probe the writings in minute detail and conclude that the writer didn 't actually write the work , that it is plagiarized , that it is a hoax and a fraud , " arguing that Finkelstein has leveled charges against many academics , calling at least 10 " distinguished Jews ' <unk> ' , ' <unk> ' ( sic ) , ' thieves ' , ' <unk> ' , and worse . " Although the back and forth between Finkelstein and Dershowitz received the most attention and attracted significant controversy , Finkelstein has maintained that " the real issue is Israel 's human rights record . " 
 Israeli historian Omer Bartov , writing for The New York Times Book Review , judged The Holocaust Industry to be marred by the same errors he <unk> in those who exploit the Holocaust for profit or politics : 
 It is filled with precisely the kind of <unk> <unk> that Finkelstein rightly <unk> in much of the current media hype over the Holocaust ; it is <unk> with the same indifference to historical facts , inner contradictions , strident politics and dubious <unk> ; and it <unk> with the same <unk> sense of moral and intellectual superiority ... Like any conspiracy theory , it contains several grains of truth ; and like any such theory , it is both irrational and <unk> . 
 Finkelstein has accused journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of " <unk> " or " being an accessory to torture of " Palestinian prisoners during his IDF service in the First Intifada , based on statements made in Goldberg 's book Prisoners . Finkelstein says that Goldberg admits to personally sending prisoners to the <unk> , which he says has been repeatedly condemned as torture in human rights reports . Goldberg referred to the allegation as " ridiculous " and he had " never laid a hand on anybody . " Goldberg said his " principal role " was " making sure prisoners had fresh fruit . " He characterized Finkelstein as a " ridiculous figure " and accused him of " lying and purposely <unk> my book . " 
 
 = = Statements on Israel = = 
 
 Finkelstein is a sharp critic of the state of Israel . Discussing Finkelstein 's book Beyond Chutzpah , Israeli historian Avi Shlaim stated that Finkelstein 's critique of Israel " is based on an amazing amount of research . He seems to have read everything . He has gone through the reports of Israeli groups , of human rights groups , Human Rights Watch and Peace Now and B <unk> , all of the reports of Amnesty International . And he deploys all this evidence from Israeli and other sources in order to sustain his critique of Israeli practices , Israeli violations of human rights of the Palestinians , Israeli house <unk> , the targeted <unk> of Palestinian militants , the cutting down of trees , the building of the wall — the security barrier on the West Bank , which is illegal — the restrictions imposed on the Palestinians in the West Bank , and so on and so forth . I find his critique extremely detailed , well @-@ documented and accurate . " 
 In a telephone interview with Today 's <unk> , in 2009 , Finkelstein stated : 
 I think Israel , as a number of commentators pointed out , is becoming an insane state . And we have to be honest about that . While the rest of the world wants peace , Europe wants peace , the US wants peace , but this state wants war , war and war . In the first week of the massacres , there were reports in the Israeli press that Israel did not want to put all its ground forces in Gaza because it was preparing attacks on Iran . Then there were reports it was planning attacks on Lebanon . It is a <unk> state . 
 When asked how he , as the son of Holocaust survivors , felt about Israel ’ s operation in Gaza , Finkelstein replied : 
 It has been a long time since I felt any emotional connection with the state of Israel , which relentlessly and brutally and <unk> keeps these vicious , murderous wars . It is a <unk> state . There is a Russian writer who once described <unk> states as Genghis Khan with a telegraph . Israel is Genghis Khan with a computer . I feel no emotion of affinity with that state . I have some good friends and their families there , and of course I would not want any of them to be hurt . That said , sometimes I feel that Israel has come out of the <unk> ( sic ) of the hell , a <unk> state . 
 The Anti @-@ Defamation League has described Finkelstein as an " obsessive anti @-@ Zionist " filled with " <unk> hatred of Zionism and Israel . " On being called an anti @-@ Zionist Finkelstein has said : " It 's a superficial term . I am opposed to any state with an ethnic character , not only to Israel . " 
 Finkelstein is an advocate of a two @-@ state solution to the Israeli @-@ Palestinian conflict . 
 
 = = = Hezbollah and Hamas = = = 
 
 Finkelstein has expressed solidarity with Hezbollah and Hamas with respect to defensive actions , alleging that Israel had invaded Lebanon as a signal of rejection when Hamas was seeking a diplomatic settlement with Israel . He also condemned what he said was Israel 's refusal " to abide by international law [ and ] to abide by the opinion of the international community " to settle the conflict . 
 " I was of course happy to meet the <unk> people , because it is a point of view that is rarely heard in the United States . I have no problem saying that I do want to express solidarity with them , and I am not going to be a <unk> of ( sic ) a <unk> about it . I don 't care about <unk> as a political organization . I don 't know much about their politics , and <unk> , it 's irrelevant . I don 't live in Lebanon . It 's a choice that the Lebanese have to make : Who they want to be their leaders , who they want to represent them . But there is a fundamental principle . People have the right to defend their country from foreign <unk> , and people have the right to defend their country from invaders who are destroying their country . That to me is a very basic , elementary and <unk> question . " 
 While condemning the targeting of civilians to achieve a political goal , Finkelstein has stated he believes Hezbollah has the right to target Israeli civilians as long as " Israel persists in targeting [ Lebanese ] civilians until Israel ceases its terrorist acts . " 
 Finkelstein claims that an equivalence exists between Hamas and the state of Israel in regards to the military policy of targeted killings during the Second Intifada . According to Finkelstein " the record shows that Israel has routinely targeted civilians for killing " and " Israel <unk> kills civilians " . He concludes that " the argument , among human rights organizations at any rate is that ... in effect , there ’ s no difference between <unk> killing civilians and targeting civilians . " 
 Finkelstein argued one of Israel 's primary motivations for launching the 2008 offensive in Gaza was that Hamas was " signaling that it wanted a diplomatic settlement of the conflict along the June 1967 border . " Finkelstein believes Hamas had joined the international community in " seeking a diplomatic settlement " and describes Hamas 's stance towards Israel prior to the war as a " peace offensive . " 
 
 = = Statements on the BDS movement = = 
 
 Finkelstein had made many criticisms of the <unk> , <unk> and <unk> Movement . Finkelstein stated that " I think the solidarity movement has the right tactics . I support the BDS . But I said it will never reach a broad public until and unless they are explicit on their goal . And their goal has to include recognition of Israel , otherwise it 's a <unk> . " Elsewhere , he has stated that he supports a " <unk> " BDS , making the same point about tactics and goals . 
 In February 2012 , The Jewish Chronicle in England stated that Finkelstein " launched a blistering attack " on the BDS movement , saying it was a " <unk> , dishonest cult " , " [ l ] <unk> the <unk> cult in <unk> , " that tries to cleverly pose as human rights activists while in reality their goal is to destroy Israel . Finkelstein stated that the BDS movement has had very few successes , and that just like a cult , the leaders pretend that they are hugely successful when in reality the general public rejects their extreme views . 
 In June 2012 , in an appearance on Democracy Now ! , Finkelstein elaborated on his criticisms of the BDS movement : 
 The problem as I see it with the BDS movement is not the tactic . Who could not support <unk> , <unk> and <unk> ? Of course you should . And most of the human rights organizations , church organizations have moved in that direction . The problem is the goal . . . The official BDS movement , they claim to be agnostic , neutral — whatever term you want to use — on the question of Israel . You can ’ t reach a broad public if you are agnostic on the question of Israel . The broad public wants to know , where do you stand ? And if you claim not to have a stand , you lose them . The BDS movement , it always says , and I ’ m using their language , " We are a rights @-@ based organization . We are based in international law . " I agree with that . That ’ s where you have to go : rights @-@ based international law . But the international law is clear . You read the last sentence of the 2004 International Court of Justice opinion on the wall that Israel has been building in the West Bank , and the last sentence says , " We look forward to two states : a Palestinian state alongside Israel and at peace with its neighbors . " That 's the law . 
 And if you want to go past that law or ignore the Israel part , you ’ ll never reach a broad public . And then it 's a cult . Then it ’ s pointless , in my opinion . We 're wasting time . And it 's only a wasting of time . It becomes — and I know it 's a strong word , and I hope I won 't be faulted for it , but it becomes historically criminal , because there was a time where whatever we said , it made no difference . Nobody was listening . You could shout whatever you want — who cares ? But now , actually , we can reach people . There is a possibility . I ’ m not saying a certainty . I 'm not even saying a probability . But there is a possibility that we can reach a broad public . And so , we have to be very careful about the words we use , and we have to be very careful about the political strategy we map out . Otherwise , we 're going to <unk> a real opportunity . And I don 't want to <unk> it . 
 
 = = = Books = = = 
 
 2014 : Method and Madness : The <unk> Story of Israel 's <unk> on Gaza , OR Books , New York ( 2014 ) 
 2014 : Old Wine , Broken <unk> : Ari <unk> 's <unk> Land , OR Books , New York ( 2014 ) 
 2012 : Knowing Too Much : Why the American Jewish <unk> with Israel is Coming to an End , OR Books , New York ( 2012 ) ISBN 978 @-@ 1 @-@ 935928 @-@ 77 @-@ 5 
 2012 : What Gandhi <unk> About <unk> , Resistance and Courage , OR Books , New York : 2012 , ISBN 978 @-@ 1 @-@ 935928 @-@ 79 @-@ 9 
 2011 : " <unk> <unk> . Richard <unk> <unk> Israel 's license to kill " , OR Books , New York ( 2011 ) , ISBN 978 @-@ 1 @-@ 935928 @-@ 51 @-@ 5 
 2010 : This Time We <unk> Too Far : Truth and <unk> of the Gaza Invasion . OR Books , New York : 2010 . [ 2 ] ; ISBN 978 @-@ 1 @-@ 935928 @-@ 43 @-@ 0 
 2005 : Beyond Chutzpah : On the <unk> of Anti @-@ Semitism and the Abuse of History . University of California Press ; ISBN 0 @-@ 520 @-@ <unk> @-@ 9 . 2nd updated Ed . , University of California Press . June 2008 ; ISBN 0 @-@ 520 @-@ <unk> @-@ 5 , contains an <unk> written by Frank J. <unk> , Dershowitz vs Finkelstein . Who 's Right and Who 's Wrong ? , pp. <unk> – 94 @,@ 
 2000 : The Holocaust Industry : Reflections on the <unk> of Jewish Suffering , Verso ; ISBN 1 @-@ <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ X. 
 1998 : A Nation on Trial : The Goldhagen <unk> and Historical Truth ( co @-@ written with Ruth <unk> <unk> ) , Henry Holt and Co . ; ISBN 0 @-@ <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ 9 . 
 1996 : The Rise and Fall of Palestine : A Personal <unk> of the Intifada Years . Minneapolis : U of Minnesota P , ISBN 0 @-@ <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ 9 . 
 1995 : Image and Reality of the Israel @-@ Palestine Conflict , Verso ; ISBN 1 @-@ <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ 1 
 1987 : From the Jewish Question to the Jewish State : An Essay on the Theory of Zionism ( thesis ) , Princeton University . 
 
 = = = Articles and chapters = = = 
 
 " <unk> and the Palestine Question : The Not @-@ So @-@ Strange Case of Joan Peter 's ' From Time Immemorial . ' " in <unk> the Victims : <unk> Scholarship and the Palestinian Question . Ed . Edward W. Said and Christopher <unk> . Verso Press , 1988 ; ISBN 0 @-@ <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ 4 . Chapter Two , Part One : 
 " Peace process or peace panic ? - The <unk> of Palestinian <unk> " , Middle East Report , 19 ( 1989 ) 3 / 158 , pp. 25 – 26 @,@ 28 @-@ 30 @,@ 42 
 " Zionist orientations " , Scandinavian Journal of Development <unk> 9 ( March 1990 ) 1 @.@ p . 41 @-@ 69 
 " <unk> <unk> in year II of the <unk> . - A personal account " , Journal of Palestine Studies 19 ( Winter 1990 ) 2 / 74 , pp. 62 – 74 
 " Israel and Iraq . - A double standard " , Journal of Palestine Studies 20 ( 1991 ) 2 / 78 @.@ pp. 43 – 56 
 " Reflections on Palestinian attitudes during the Gulf war " , Journal of Palestine Studies , 21 ( 1992 ) 3 / 83 , pp. 54 – 70 
 " <unk> sur la <unk> de l <unk> <unk> et du <unk> dans le <unk> <unk> @-@ <unk> " ( Reflections on the responsibility of state and citizen in the Arab @-@ Israeli conflict ) , in L ' <unk> et la <unk> , L <unk> 1994 , 114 , S. 37 @-@ 50 
 " <unk> the <unk> process ' ? " , New Left Review , ( 1996 ) 218 , p . 138 
 " <unk> occupation : The real meaning of the <unk> River <unk> " , New Left Review , ( 1998 ) 232 , pp. 128 – 39 
 <unk> to The Politics of Anti @-@ Semitism . Ed . Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair . AK Press , 2001 ; ISBN 1 @-@ <unk> @-@ 77 @-@ 4 . 
 " <unk> of Holocaust compensation " , in Palestinian <unk> : The Right of Return . Ed . <unk> <unk> . Pluto Press , 2001 , S. 272 @-@ 275 ; ISBN 0 @-@ <unk> @-@ 1776 @-@ 6 . 
 " Abba <unk> with <unk> " , Journal of Palestine Studies , vol 32 . ( 2003 ) , pp. 74 – 89 
 " <unk> for Ending the Occupation " , <unk> , 35 ( 2003 ) 5 , pp. <unk> – 45 
 <unk> to <unk> , <unk> and <unk> : Conversations with Jewish Critics of Israel , by Seth Farber . Common Courage Press , 2005 . ISBN 1 @-@ <unk> @-@ 326 @-@ 3 . 
 " The Camp David II negotiations . - how Dennis Ross proved the Palestinians <unk> the peace process " , Journal of Palestine Studies , vol . 36 ( 2007 ) , pp. 39 – 53 
 " Dennis Ross and the peace process : <unk> Palestinian rights to Israeli ' needs ' " , Institute for Palestine Studies , 2007 ; ISBN 0 @-@ <unk> @-@ 308 @-@ X 
 
 = = Others on Finkelstein and his works = = 
 
 
 = = = Academic reviews of books by Finkelstein = = = 
 
 <unk> , Joseph . " <unk> Holocaust <unk> " , Review Essay , Journal of Palestine Studies , Vol . 32 , No. 1 . ( Autumn , 2002 ) , pp. 78 – 89 . 
 Cole , Tim . " Representing the Holocaust in America : Mixed <unk> or Abuse ? " , The Public Historian , Vol . 24 , No. 4 . ( Fall , 2002 ) , pp. 127 – 31 
 <unk> , Eric . Reviewed work : Image and Reality of the Israel @-@ Palestine Conflict by Norman Finkelstein , Journal of Palestine Studies , Vol . 33 , No. 3 , Special Issue in Honor of Edward W. Said . ( Spring , 2004 ) , pp. 123 – 124 . 
 Pelham , Nicolas . Reviewed Work : Image and Reality in the Israel @-@ Palestine <unk> by Norman G. Finkelstein , International Affairs , Vol . 72 , No. 3 , <unk> and International Relations . ( July 1996 ) , pp. <unk> – 28 . 
 <unk> , Ilan . " Valuable New <unk> , " Reviewed Work : Image and Reality of the Israel @-@ Palestine <unk> by Norman G. Finkelstein , Journal of Palestine Studies , Vol . 26 , No. 4 . ( Summer , 1997 ) , pp. 113 – 15 . 
 <unk> , Joel . " The Palestinian @-@ Israeli Conflict after Oslo " , Reviewed work : Image and Reality of the Israel @-@ Palestine Conflict by Norman G. Finkelstein . Middle East Report , No. 201 , Israel and Palestine : Two States , <unk> or <unk> ? . ( <unk> @-@ Dec 1996 ) , pp. 45 – 47 . 
 
 = = = Reviews of books by Finkelstein = = = 
 
 <unk> , <unk> ( review of Beyond Chutzpah ) , NRC <unk> , February 24 , 2006 . 
 <unk> , Ilan ( review of Beyond Chutzpah ) , <unk> ( February / March 2006 ) 
 De <unk> , Alfred . Review of Beyond Chutzpah in Frankfurter <unk> Zeitung ( February 3 , 2006 ) 
 <unk> , Paul Charles . These <unk> on the Face of the Earth : Israel 's most <unk> critic ( review of Beyond Chutzpah , in Christianity Today ( January / February 2006 ) 
 <unk> , Mike . " Israel , fraud and <unk> " ( review of Beyond Chutzpah ; January 2006 ) 
 <unk> , Vijay . Z magazine reviews Beyond Chutzpah . Review of Beyond Chutzpah . Z Magazine November 2005 Volume 18 , Number 11 
 Gordon , Neve . Neve Gordon : Review of Norman Finkelstein 's , Beyond Chutzpah . Review of Beyond Chutzpah : On the <unk> of Anti @-@ Semitism and the Abuse of History , by Norman G. Finkelstein . History News Network , October 12 , 2005 
 <unk> , Paul . The Finkelstein <unk> ( review of The Holocaust Industry ) , Judaism ( Fall 2002 ) 
 <unk> , Tobias . Finkelstein 's <unk> : The <unk> of <unk> Anti @-@ Zionism ( review of The Holocaust Industry ) , <unk> ; accessed November 1 , 2015 
 Bartov , Omer . " A Tale of Two <unk> " ( review of The Holocaust Industry ) , New York Times Book Review , August 6 , 2000 
 
 = = = <unk> of Finkelstein = = = 
 
 Garner , Mandy . " The Good Jewish Boys Go into Battle . " Times Higher Education Supplement 16 December 2005 . 
 <unk> , Ben . " His Own <unk> Enemy . " The Jerusalem Post 12 December 2005 . 
 <unk> , Jay . " Finkelstein 's List . " The Observer 16 July 2000 . 
 <unk> , <unk> . " The Finkelstein <unk> . " Ha <unk> 30 March 2001 . 
 
 = = = Critics of Finkelstein and replies = = = 
 
 Daniel Goldhagen , The New <unk> of <unk> at the Wayback Machine ( archived December 4 , 2002 ) 
 Norman Finkelstein , Response to Goldhagen 
 William Rubinstein et al . , Uses of Holocaust , letters to the London Review of Books 
 David Friedman , Anti @-@ Defamation League letter at the Wayback Machine , calling Finkelstein a " Holocaust <unk> " 
 The Washington Post <unk> a <unk> : Marc Fisher , a Washington Post columnist , publishes a retraction of his charge of " Holocaust <unk> " , <unk> ; accessed November 1 , 2015 . 
 
 = = = Video = = = 
 
 Norman Finkelstein at the Internet Movie Database 
 Eight <unk> with Finkelstein ( two sets of four ) , December 2014 and January 2015 , and Three More <unk> with Finkelstein , May 2015 , The Real News 
 American Radical : The Trials of Norman Finkelstein - broadcast of the documentary in two parts 
 <unk> the Israel @-@ Palestine Conflict : University of British Columbia , Vancouver , Jan 21 , 2009 . 
 Interview broadcast on Lebanese TV January 20 , 2008 
 VIDEO : Norman Finkelstein - Israel and Palestine : Roots of Conflict , <unk> for Peace , presentation in Seattle , Washington , May 8 , 2008 . 
 VIDEO : Norman Finkelstein - The Coming <unk> of American Zionism , presentation in <unk> , Washington , May 8 , 2008 . 
 VIDEO : Norman Finkelstein at Brown University on YouTube , April 15 , 2008 
 Doha Debate at the Oxford Union Video of debate on whether the " pro @-@ Israeli lobby has successfully <unk> Western debate about Israel 's actions " with Andrew Cockburn , Martin <unk> , and David <unk> , May 1 , 2007 
 Debate with <unk> Ben @-@ <unk> on Democracy Now ! , February 14 , 2006 
 Finkelstein <unk> to Clinton , <unk> <unk> <unk> March 23 , 2010 
 Israel vs Palestine - featuring Norman Finkelstein ( April 2014 ) , <unk> Rap News 
 