Norman Finkelstein is a political scientist, activist, professor, and author.
He has written extensively on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing on the Israeli government’s policies towards Palestinians, accusing Israel of human rights violations against them.
Summary
He argues that the suffering of Jews during the ‘Nazi holocaust‘ (as he calls it) has been exploited for political and financial gain by various organisations and individuals.
Norman says that—and this is important—the event has been used to provide immunity from criticism of Israel and to advance certain geopolitical interests. In other words, criticise Jews or Israel, and you will be labelled as ‘antisemitic’.
He suggests that what happened has been sensationalised and politicised rather than objectively examined as historical events.
The Holocaust has proven to be an indispensable ideological weapon. Through its deployment, one of the world’s most formidable military powers, with a horrendous human rights record, has cast itself as a “victim” state, and the most successful ethnic group in the United States has likewise acquired victim status.
Norman Finkelstein
