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Norman Finkelstein
is a brave man who has received a lot of flak
for writing this book. One response that authors who criticise
Israel always have to contend with is the accusation that they
are motivated by anti-Semitism or anti-Zionism. Jewish authors
(Finkelstein is the son of Holocaust survivors) are
additionally accused of being 'self hating' Jews. It's almost
as if, in the eyes of Israel's unquestioning supporters, there
can be no legitimate reason to criticise anything that Israel
does. Maybe Israel, unlike any other country which has ever
existed on Earth, is a perfect society which is completely
above criticism - or is it?
The aim of this
brilliant book is to ask questions about the view of Israel's
history that Zionists would like the rest of us to believe.
Many aspects of this history are hotly disputed so it's a
perfectly legitimate area of study. Reading the book will
probably challenge your preconceptions of the Arab-Israeli
conflict and will make some people feel distinctly
uncomfortable. But like nasty tasting medicine that ultimately
does you good, it's essential reading for anyone who really
wants to understand what's going on in that tragic part of the
world. And the fact that all Finkelstein's opponents can do to
counter his arguments is come out with the same old knee-jerk
reactions says it all. |
