NEW REPUBLIC
by Jordan Michael Smith
July 7, 2015

Norman Finkelstein was a rock star of the pro-Palestinian movement. Then he came out against BDS.

….Throughout the 1990s, Finkelstein became a prominent defender of the Palestinians and a relentless critic of Israel and what he called “the Holocaust Industry.”… Finkelstein was called an anti-Semite and, in the memorable words of former New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier, “poison, he’s a disgusting self-hating Jew, he’s something you find under a rock.”….All that changed in February 2012. Finkelstein had become concerned with the international pro-Palestinian community’s embrace of BDS—it has become the preferred solution among activists on campuses and much of the Palestinian diaspora. He feels the position is inconsistent with international law’s recognition of Israel’s existence. In an interview with a French pro-Palestinian activist, Finkelstein declared his opposition to BDS….“I loathe the disingenuousness—they don’t want Israel [to exist],” he said. “It’s a cult.” READ MORE