Investigating Norman Finkelstein’s talk
On Nov. 13, 2014, an article was published in The Ontarion about Norman Finkelstein, a self-proclaimed renowned lecturer and political scientist that came to the University of Guelph, and spoke about the conflict in the Middle East. The article praises Norman Finkelstein’s views, while, in reality, he attacks the Israeli government and its people, and continues to further demonize the nation and its actions. All “facts” presented by Mr. Finkelstein are not only extremely hurtful and biased, but are furthermore, entirely false.
During the lecture, Mr. Finkelstein claimed that the 4000 rockets fired from Gaza into Israel are in fact not rockets, but “enhanced fireworks.” He backs this claim up by saying that there weren’t many casualties and therefore, these; weapons cannot be classified as rockets. This claim is extremely ridiculous and false. While the number of casualties is not catastrophic in comparison to the intifadas and past wars, it is still substantial. The reason this number is not extremely high is because Israel takes all the precautions to keep its civilians and soldiers safe. Israel has done, and continues to do, everything in its power to ensure the safety of its people. Some examples include bomb shelters, which are mandatory in every home and/or building, and a rocket defense system, which was created out of necessity, because of tens of thousands of rockets, not “enhanced fireworks,” being launched with murderous intent at civilian targets.
Furthermore, Mr. Finkelstein also contradicts himself by saying that rockets cause a lot of damage, yet he continues on to say that there was $15 million in damage.This is a large sum of money and, therefore, one would be able to classify the damage done by an actual rocket, not an enhanced firework, as Mr. Finkelstein describes. He further continues and criticizes the Israeli attacks on the United Nations civilian shelters. However, what Mr. Finkelstein fails to mention is that Hamas, a terrorist organization looking to eradicate Israel and her people, hid an enormous amount of weapons underneath these U.N. civilian shelters, as well as under hospitals and schools.
Overall, having Mr. Finkelstein come to speak at the University of Guelph brings a lot more harm than good. The University of Guelph is known for being an extremely successful university for many reasons. One of the main reasons students choose the University of Guelph is because they feel very comfortable and safe here. Safety is crucial to making or breaking a university experience, and Guelph excels in creating a safe environment for all students – no matter what race, political stance, or opinions one holds. However, by bringing in a radical who provides false information, hatred is provoked, and the friendly and welcoming community created on campus is in harm’s way. By bringing in someone like Mr. Finkelstein, the safety and confidence students have in themselves and their background is jeopardized. Those chosen to speak at the university should spread tolerance, understanding, and verified facts –all aspects that Norman Finkelstein never presents.
There is a magical right in Canada we have called freedom of speech. Universities have always been an environment in which one can express a differing opinion and present their views even if they are not popular. If he has no evidence at all then I’m sure he would not have been invited. Also, if it is safety and security you want for the poor fragile students, try going to a country where only mainstream government approved ideas are allowed in academic circles… =)