[Peace-discuss] Finkelstein vs. Salaita

[Brussel, Morton K]

I like most of your judgements, David.
Finkelstein’s response to Glunt’s questions reveals an unattractive personality, an antipathy (apparently?) born of resentment from Salaita’s earlier article and his stated diminishing requests for talks. The word “patient” which you employ hardly describes the vileness of Finkelstein’s response. Can we separate his character from the arguments? I’m reading Salaita’s book. I’m more than sympathetic to his arguments, his views, although his writing can indeed  be overly “academic”. I also think Chomsky and Finkelstein are “wrong” on the solutions to the Palestine problems—BDS, 1 or 2 state solutions, etc.
I also agree that Salaita went overboard in comparing Finkelstein… to the truly atrocious Dershits, but he comes from a Palestinian background, and has different perspectives the a former kibbutz member.

—mkb


On Nov 18, 2015, at 6:31 PM, David Green via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net<mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>> wrote:

This was bound to come up sooner or later; I had read Salaita's original article on EI equating Finkelstein with Dershowitz, and found it appalling. It was only sometime after the Salaita affair broke that I re-connected him to that article. Nevertheless, I'm more patient than Finkelstein with Salaita's academic prose, and feel that he makes some original and incisive analyses, especially of campus multicultural politics, in his essays (http://mondoweiss.net/2014/10/scholarship-dismissal-university<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__mondoweiss.net_2014_10_scholarship-2Ddismissal-2Duniversity&d=BQMFaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=9eBn2xukb4K19JC8Bn8zUQ&m=W4qgPCcjmTHB0OzzQWZ29TW6MSp4fhuHZpK14k1NsH8&s=mC3-pnIXjRD-LB30_LcCUUt7DlKD2fNx-P9MgjnYCog&e=>). Regarding Finkelstein/Chomsky's criticisms of BDS, I basically agree with them, and Salaita shows no indication of challenging what I consider to be the conventional wisdom among SJP/JVP/BDS movements. The antipathy that Finkelstein and Ali Abunimah of EI have for each other is "no secret." In this context, Finkelstein's harsh judgment of Salaita seems arrogant and probably is, but also based in some pretty fundamental disagreements about practical and movement strategies and tactics.

DG





On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 5:01 PM, C. G. Estabrook via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net<mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>> wrote:


http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/11/finkelstein-weighs-in-on-salaita-settlement/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__dissidentvoice.org_2015_11_finkelstein-2Dweighs-2Din-2Don-2Dsalaita-2Dsettlement_&d=BQMFaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=9eBn2xukb4K19JC8Bn8zUQ&m=W4qgPCcjmTHB0OzzQWZ29TW6MSp4fhuHZpK14k1NsH8&s=xbwTjU242zvIHjNohBleU_LV08qlnIdmPrQL90YjzCc&e=>

I think Norman Finkelstein is probably correct on his rejection of

(1) the full BDS program (more carefully set out by Noam Chomsky: <http://chomsky.info/20140722/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__chomsky.info_20140722_&d=BQMFaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=9eBn2xukb4K19JC8Bn8zUQ&m=W4qgPCcjmTHB0OzzQWZ29TW6MSp4fhuHZpK14k1NsH8&s=4nu0vUi7v30eoQ0vl0TSfozKnvFXl3uAjnzIMilt784&e=>>);

(2) the Mearsheimer-Walt argument (again, Chomsky is clearer: <http://chomsky.info/20060328/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__chomsky.info_20060328_&d=BQMFaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=9eBn2xukb4K19JC8Bn8zUQ&m=W4qgPCcjmTHB0OzzQWZ29TW6MSp4fhuHZpK14k1NsH8&s=S2LZio4J5YSh-_YzCrj0sLJVe7YoRP9ANwA-6z3E4Y4&e=>>); and

(3) the 'one-state solution' (the right of return will have have to be transferred into reparations).

(These views are characterized by Ira Glunts as "incompatible with pro-Palestinian activism and solidarity … [Finkelstein’s] characterization of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) advocates as cultists, his view that the pro-Israel lobby does not influence U.S foreign policy, and his deriding of advocates of a one-state solution for Israel/Palestine, as hopelessly politically naïve.”)

And Steven Salita's “Dershowitz and Finkelstein: comrades at heart?” is at best uncivil, to coin a phrase:
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/dershowitz-and-finkelstein-comrades-heart/12574<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__electronicintifada.net_content_dershowitz-2Dand-2Dfinkelstein-2Dcomrades-2Dheart_12574&d=BQMFaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=9eBn2xukb4K19JC8Bn8zUQ&m=W4qgPCcjmTHB0OzzQWZ29TW6MSp4fhuHZpK14k1NsH8&s=Wq0w2vqRqPn7_mfXvmdhd-SN846wPJba29yU2fO4Egw&e=>>.

—CGE



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