Taking on the lobby
By George McLeod
Professor Norman Finkelstein says his dismissal from a major US university was presaged by his willingness to speak the truth about the influence of pro-Israel groups on policies coming out of Washington
‘I 
have no regrets,” says Norman Finkelstein, after losing one of the most divisive and publicised campus battles in US history.
Despite student demonstrations and sit-ins, protests from some of the world’s most prominent academics and an outcry from free speech groups, Finkelstein was dismissed from DePaul University, the US’ largest Catholic university. The firing generated headlines around the world with many claiming it was an effort to gag his criticisms of the Israel lobby and Israel’s human rights record in Palestine.
One of the most well-known and outspoken commentators on Israeli policy, Finkelstein is the author of five noted books on the Israel-Palestine issue and is a popular speaker on the subject.
Finkelstein accuses the lobby of using the Holocaust to stifle debate on Israel and to embezzle funds earmarked for Holocaust victims. Much of Finkelstein’s research on Israel relies on mainstream human rights organisations, which he says universally condemn Israel for torture, illegal imprisonment and intentionally killing civilians.
Many suspect that his dismissal is part of a national house-cleaning against critics of Israel and the pro-Israel lobby. The alleged campaign has seen numerous academics fired or demoted, and high-profile speeches at US universities cancelled following pressure from pro-Israel groups.
Even mainstream activists like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was key in bringing down South Africa’s apartheid regime, have incurred the wrath of the lobby for criticising Israel.
According to Finkelstein, the furor over the Israel issue has everything to do with the lobby.
“There is nothing unusual about the Israel/Palestine issue, apart from the fact that there is a lobby here that prevents any kind of rational debate,” he said in a phone interview.
