Controversial Jewish-American author and academic Norman Finkelstein spoke at Porter Hall Jan. 12 in an event sponsored by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), an organization whose website advocates a boycott of Israel.
Gandhi’s defeat of the British occupation in India can provide lessons to those seeking peace between Israel and Palestine, Finkelstein said to the crowd of 300 people.
“Gandhi’s main insight was that politics is not about trying to change public opinion but rather about getting people to act on what they already know is wrong.”
Finkelstein argued events like the 2006 war on Lebanon, the 2008-2009 attack on Gaza, and the changing views on Turkey, were the cause of Israel’s decline on the international stage.
Finkelstein claims that during the last 72 hours of the war on Lebanon, Israel dropped more than four million cluster bombs despite the UN Security Council’s call for a ceasefire. Israeli commanders were quoted at the time in Haaretz saying the number was closer to one million.
Since the 2009 incursion into Gaza, he said the Turkish government “took an aggressive stand with its support to Palestinians” while the removal of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is another blow. He had been an ally to Israel during his rule, after his predecessor signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
Finkelstein spoke about the International Court of Justice. The 15 judges who make up the court voted on the settlements Israel has built within Palestine and on the occupied Palestinian territory. They concluded these settlements and occupations are illegal under international law.
To end this conflict, Finkelstein said we need to turn to Gandhi, whom he called “the Prince of Peace.” Gandhi wanted to end the United Kingdom’s occupation of India. Therefore, “he formulated goals and set an agenda,” Finkelstein said.
“To solve this conflict, we need to set a goal and that goal should have nothing to do with what you think or what I think, it’s what the public thinks,” Finkelstein added.
“It’s very important to come out to events such as this one because it’s important to hear the thoughts of someone so knowledgeable like [Finkelstein] and to see such tangible evidence,” said Miskat Salloum, a third-year social work and political science student.
Towards the end of his speech, Finkelstein said he sometimes questions choosing to specialize in this topic. But he said when he thinks about the seriousness of the situation for the people involved, he stops second-guessing himself, “I have no doubt about the wisdom of the choice I made because they have a right to live and that’s what this is about — the right to live.”
