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Beyond Chutzpah
- On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the
Abuse of History
by Norman Finkelstein
In this long-awaited
sequel to his international bestseller The
Holocaust Industry, Norman G. Finkelstein
moves from an iconoclastic interrogation
of the new anti-Semitism to a meticulously
researched expose of the corruption of scholarship
on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Bringing
to bear the latest findings on the conflict
and recasting the scholarly debate, Finkelstein
points to a consensus among historians and
human rights organizations on the factual
record. Why, then, does so much controversy
swirl around the conflict? Finkelstein's
answer, copiously documented, is that apologists
for Israel contrive controversy. Whenever
Israel comes under international pressure,
another media campaign alleging a global
outbreak of anti-Semitism is mounted.
Finkelstein
also scrutinizes the proliferation of distortion
masquerading as history. Recalling Joan
Peters' book From Time Immemorial,
published to great fanfare in 1984 but subsequently
exposed as an academic hoax, he asks deeply
troubling questions here about the periodic
reappearance of spurious scholarship and
the uncritical acclaim it receives. The
most recent addition to this mendacious
genre, Finkelstein argues, is Harvard Law
Professor Alan Dershowitz's bestseller,
The Case for Israel.
The core
analysis of Beyond Chutzpah sets Dershowitz's
assertions on Israel's human rights record
against the findings of the mainstream human
rights community. Sifting through thousands
of pages of reports from organizations such
as Amnesty International, B'Tselem, and
Human Rights Watch, Finkelstein demonstrates
that Dershowitz has systematically misrepresented
the facts.
Thoroughly
researched and tightly argued, Beyond
Chutzpah lifts the veil of contrived
controversy shrouding the Israel-Palestine
conflict, enabling readers in search of
a just and lasting peace to act on the basis
of truth.
About the
Author
Norman G.
Finkelstein teaches Political Theory and
History at the City University of New York.
He is author (with Ruth Bettina Birn) of
A Nation on Trial, named a notable
book for 1998 by the New York Times Book
Review, and The Holocaust Industry.
Reviews
"The scholarship is simply superb.
Finkelstein has clearly done his homework,
and consulted and mastered a breathtaking
range of material: primary sources and documents,
scholarly works, reports old and new, correspondence
with relevant individuals, and numerous
other sources too. He has left no stone
unturned."
--
Mouin Rabbani, Middle East Report
"A
brave and daring challenge, meticulously
researched. Must reading for anyone committed
to a just and enduring peace in the Middle
East."
-- Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Related Links
Norman
Finkelstein's official website
Norman Finkelstein's
"Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine
Conflict"
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