In this article, Alan Dershowitz sets forth why Norman Finkelstein, known for his inflammatory writings on the Holocaust and Israel, should be denied tenure at DePaul University in Chicago:

"University of Chicago professor Peter Novick, warned that: ‘No facts alleged by Finkelstein should be assumed to be really facts, no quotation in his book should be assumed to be accurate, without taking the time to carefully compare his claims with the sources he cites. . . .[S]uch an examination reveals that many of those assertions are pure invention.’ Nor was he helped when New York Times reviewer Prof. Omer Bartov, an authority on genocide, characterized his book as ‘a novel variation on the anti-Semitic forgery, ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ . . . brimming with indifference to historical facts, inner contradictions, strident politics . . . .’"

"Mr. Finkelstein does not do ‘scholarship’ in any meaningful sense. Although his writings center on Israel (which he compares to Nazi Germany) and the Holocaust, he has never visited Israel and cannot read or speak German — precluding the possibility of original scholarship . . . . Prof. Bartov characterized his work as an irrational Jewish ‘conspiracy theory’ . . . . The film ‘Schindler’s List,’ Mr. Finkelstein argues, was designed to divert attention from our Mideast policy . . . . He argues that Leon Uris, the author of ‘Exodus,’ named his character ‘Ari’ in order to promote Israel’s ‘Nazi’ ideology. . . . He says that most alleged Holocaust survivors — including Elie Wiesel — have fabricated their past."

"Mr. Finkelstein generalizes about ‘the Jews’; for example: ‘Just as Israelis . . . courageously put unruly Palestinians in their place, so American Jews courageously put unruly Blacks in their place.’ He says ‘the main fomenters of anti-Semitism ‘are ‘American Jewish elites’ who need to be stopped.’ Normally, no one would take such claims seriously, but he boasts that he "can get away with things which nobody else can’ because his parents were Holocaust survivors.

Finkelstein’s articles are widely disseminated on many politicized NGO websites such as Miftah and Alternatives (Canada).  In addition, Finkelstein is a frequent speaker at anti-Israel NGO-sponsored events such as "Israel Apartheid Week" and Sabeel conferences.  Finkelstein, in turn, relies on unverifiable claims by NGOs, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. 

To read the full article, click here (subscription)