Jew critical of Israel to speak in Kane

Professor Norman Finkelstein has been described as an "American maverick," by those who have interviewed him. His parents are Holocaust survivors, but he is against Holocaust reparation claims. As a Jew, he is a strong critic of Israel's foreign policies.

Today, he speaks in Kane Hall about the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"My main preoccupation is helping end the Israeli occupation," Finkelstein said. "In particular, lifting the ideological fog surrounding this topic."

Finkelstein's appearance is sponsored by the Arab Student Union, the Muslim Student Association, Hayaat, the Near Eastern languages and civilization department, the ASUW and the Jackson School of International Studies.

Finkelstein, a political science professor at DePaul University in Chicago, has authored four books. His most recent work is The Holocaust Industry. According to him, the book is about institutions, organizations and individuals who have used Jewish suffering for political and financial gain. He was dismissed from New York University after the book was published.

His other books are: Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, The Rise and Fall of Palestine: The Intifadah Years, and A Nation on Trial. The latter was named a notable book in 1998 by the New York Times Book Review.

Noam Chomsky, Finkelstein's close friend and mentor, has encouraged him to counter Joan Peter's From Time Immemorial, which Finkelstein says is "a colossal fraud. It claims Palestine was empty on the eve of Zionist colonization."

Most importantly, he said, Chomsky taught him it takes a lot of time and effort to do the right thing.

Finkelstein hopes students will be aware of one important point with regards to the conflict. "Israel's brutal and illegal 35-year-long occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is paid for with American tax dollars," he said. "And the weapons Israel uses to terrorize and murder Palestinians -- the F-16s, Apache helicopters and TOW missiles -- come from the United States."

In Finkelstein's view, the solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza in exchange for full recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the pre-June 1967 borders.

"This has been the international consensus for the past quarter century endorsed by every country in the world as well as the Palestinians, but blocked by U.S.-Israeli rejectionism," he said.

Finkelstein plans to visit the occupied territories this summer, said he hopes people will realize "Israel -- with crucial U.S. support -- is inflicting horrible suffering on Palestinians."

"There's every reason to suppose things are going to get much, much worse in the near future, unless we act," he added.

Finkelstein's talk, "Whither the 'peace process'? Understanding the Reality of the Arab-Israeli conflict," will be held in Kane 130 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $2 with UW ID and $5 without, available at the door.