Norman Finkelstein alleges that Israel has committed genocide by attempting to annihilate the Palestinians in Gaza. Moreover, in a recent podcast, Finkelstein denied that sexual atrocities were committed by Hamas on and after October 7, 2023. Finkelstein has a long history of anti-Israel activities. In an essay dated October 7, 2023, in response to the Hamas led massacre of Israeli civilians on that day, Finkelstein wrote “We honored the heroic resistance of Gaza… The stars above in heaven are looking kindly down. Glory, glory hallelujah” .

Who is Norman Finkelstein? How and why has he become a frequently quoted critic of Israel? Are his claims of Israeli genocide against Palestinians and denial of sexual abuse by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists against Israeli civilians valid? This article addresses the above issues.

Norman Finkelstein has travelled a long, circuitous road to reach his status as an independent political scientist and public commentator. He holds no academic position and although he has lectured at many universities, he has never been tenured, indicating that there are questions about the level of his scholarship. He has written and published several books including [“Holocaust Industry” and “Gaza an Inquest into its Martyrdom].” These books are highly critical of Israel and its use of the Holocaust to shield its policies from criticism. Reviews of the books have been both strongly positive and strongly negative. He has benefitted from his notoriety by being given social media platforms from which he can espouse his views to a wide audience.

Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-American lawyer, coined the term genocide in 1944 (https://www.hmrec.org/raphael-lemkin). Lemkin defined genocide as the planned destruction of a people, an ethnic group, or a religious entity. The question that arises is whether the Israeli response to Hamas perpetrated massacre on October 7, 2023, fits the definition of genocide.

Finkelstein’s allegation of Israeli genocide following October 2023 and his accusations against the Jewish State as stated in a podcast interview hosted by Riz Khan........

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