Norman Finkelstein on Israel’s War on Gaza
December 14th, 2009 § 2 Comments
Near the end of December 2008 the Israeli government began a vicious military assault on the occupied Gazan territories with a bombing campaign that progressed into a ground invasion. In less than 1 month an estimated 1,400 Palestinians were murdered (1/3 of which were children), and thousands were displaced and maimed with injuries.
In addition to being forced to endure Israel’s continued crippling land, air and water blockades which not only impede economic development to the point of near immobility but also prevent people from living even modestly normal lives, Gazans continue to suffer from the repercussions to this day. Having previously enjoyed mainly unchallenged impunity internationally, the brute force with which Israel conducted ‘Operation Cast Lead’ spurred important debates which marked an important shift (no matter how small or short-lived they may have been) in the world’s perception of the Israeli government’s policies against Palestinians.
In the clip above which runs under just 1 hour, scholar Norman Finkelstein discusses Israel’s war on Gaza almost one year later with a special focus on the Goldstone Report at the Brecht Forum in New York. Although Finkelstein’s denials of the power of the Israel lobby are in many ways detrimental to the Palestinian cause, his discussion here is nevertheless important and necessary.
The problem I have with Finkelstein is that he only focuses on what things are like; he has nothing to say about why things are the way they are. His conclusion couldn’t have been more ludicrous. ‘If the Palestinians were smart..’ they would go to the ICC, and if the EU and UN support them — voila! — there’ll be accountability. So the only reason Israelis are not being prosecuted in Hague is that the Palestinians are not smart enough? Presumably it has nothing to do with the lobby pressure on the EU or the US, or the US veto at the UN.
The palestinians would wish it were oh so simple. The reality is that the western powers constantly dismiss any valid attempts by the palestinians to even discuss the issues never mind garner support. Ask why the BBC will never criticise the Israeli position, why the EU will never condemn any Israeli actions no matter what the cost or consequences. You can lobby as much as you want but if the financial influence of the Israeli lobby is so overwhemingly powerful they can subdue any discussion.