Israel Bars One of its Most Prominent Critics, Norman Finkelstein, for 10 Years

The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz has published an editorial criticizing the Israeli government’s decision to ban American academic Norman Finkelstein from entering the country. Last Friday, Finkelstein was arrested at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and questioned by the Shin Bet security service for several hours. It later became known that he had been banned from entering Israel for 10 years, for so-called “security reasons.”

Finkelstein is known one of the most prominent academic critics of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The Ha’aretz editorial reads in part: “Considering his unusual and extremely critical views, one cannot avoid the suspicion that refusing to allow him to enter Israel was a punishment rather than a precaution….The right to enter Israel is not guaranteed to noncitizens, but the right of Israeli citizens to hear unusual views is one that should be fought for. It is not for the government to decide which views should be heard here and which ones should not. The decision to ban Finkelstein hurts us more than it hurts him.”

Norman Finkelstein joins me now in the firehouse studio. We are also joined on the telephone from Hebron by Musa Abu Hashhash, Professor Finkelstein’s friend whom Norman had intended to visit. We called the Israeli embassy and New York consulate to invite them on the program but they declined our requests.

Norman Finkelstein, Author of several books, including “The Holocaust Industry”, “Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict” and “Beyond Chutzpah.”

Musa Abu Hashhash, field representative of Israeli human rights group Btselem in the Hebron district.

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