I strongly objected to Finkelstein’s historical analogy claiming Hezbollah was Hitler & Israel the Nazis. THat was odious. However, his actual pt. that Hezbollah was defending Lebanon fr. Israel attack is valid & legitimate. I did not however support or justify the original Hezbollah attack & neither did Finkelstein as far as I know. That being said, until Lebanese territorial claims are resolved w. Israel there will be conflict w. Lebanese forces & for Israel to act as if the Hezbollah attack sprang fr. nowhere is not legitimate.

Also, Finkelstein’s critique of the Holocaust industry is entirely legitimate. There are American Jewish groups & leaders who shamefully exploit the Holocaust & claims of anti-Semitism for their own political & financial aggrandizement. And I say this as someone who has written extensively & sympathetically about the Holocaust & published a survivor’s oral history.

I’m not sure you are right in saying “all Zionists were against Franco.” Jabotinsky, if I recall, spoke admiringly about Mussolini. I can’t imagine the Zionist right supporting the Spanish royalists.

As far as the Lebanon war, which is what NF was talking about, I think Israel does deserve to be tarred morally, spiritually & legally (& militarily). If he supports Israel’s right to exist (as he does) then you make a mistake if you claim that he doesn’t.

He had NOT JUST come from visiting Lebanon. He had just come from Amsterdam. Nor was he visiting a Palestinian enemy, unless of course you consider a Palestinian researcher working for B’Tselem an enemy of Israel. He was not coming for the purposes of activism against Israel so yr claim above is yet another spurious lie about NF.

Since you have in effect conceded that Israel is not a homeland for [all] the Jewish people, in future I will never refer to that way. I will say it is the homeland for some Jewish people; or the right Jewish people.

It’s instructive that Finkelstein declined yr offer to discuss his tenure battle. I wonder why. Did he say?

I never meant to claim that ALL Jewish progressives had abandoned him. I was referrign to three particular people who made disparaging comments about his deportation in e mails to me. I used them as examples because I’m certain that if they were willing to turn their backs on Finkelstein, there are many other Jewish liberals who would be happy to do so as well. On the other hand, many other Jewish progressives I included in my e mail were supportive of NF in this situation.

You should know that I have linked a number of times in my blog to Tikkun articles. I remember in particular writing an entire post about yr interview w. Tariq Ramadan. Nor do I have any problem w. Tikkun’s interest in Jewish spirituality. In fact, I embrace this view myself.

1. Bilious jealousy. Who’s the scholar who demolished the fraudulent works of Peters and Goldhagen?, the one largely responsible for shifting the debate in the U.S. from “Cycle of Violence” to “The Israeli Occupation”? Who’s the hot speaker on the college lecture tour here and abroad? Not any of those schlubs.

2. Most of the so-called “anti-zionist jews” are crypto-zionists. They don’t give a damn about the Palestinians but just figured they could get more kudos and attention posing as “harsh jewish critics of Israel”.

I counted there about 8 Isralies who served with the Hagana or later Zahal. However at least 2 that I knew personally are not in the list. One Dsvid Karon? or Caron was later a high up in the Shin-bet.

Also please check in Wikki in Hebrew !!! The International Brigade and see refferences there

This is just for a start.

By the way Finkel. on the Leb. TV did not talk about the IDF or the Isr. Gov. He made it a point to tar Israel as whole ,concept and reality: morally, spiritualy and legaly.

Do you think I need to read blogs to know that Norman Finkelstein was not sent to Israel by Al Qaeda???

According to the quote that you presented, NF was asked if he had MET with al qaeda or whether he was sent by Hizzballah. Not sent by al qaeda.
And frankly, stranger things have happened. Lets be honest, when NF arrived at BG airport he did not say he has come as a Jew to his homeland for a visit. He said I have just come from visiting your Lebanese enemy and I now which to visit your Palestinian enemy (I’m not refering specifically to the individual he planned on visiting, but that the Palestinians are still an enemy of the Jewish state). I’m pretty sure he didn’t kiss the ground when he came off the airplane.
If NF wants to exercise his right as a Jew to make Aliyah then that’s fine. To deny him that right the burden of proof is on the state of Israel to prove that he is not eligible. But the Israeli law does not guarantee visitation rights to all Jews under all circumstances. Non-Israeli Jews are not allowed to vote for the knesset, nor are they obligated to pay taxes or serve in the army. Certain rights only come with citizenship.