Gaza: An Inquest into its Martyrdom by Norman Finkelstein---reviewed by NOAM CHOMSKY (Oct. 2, 2018)
Morrissey
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Gaza: An Inquest into its Martyrdom by Norman Finkelstein (University of California Press, 2018)
Review by NOAM CHOMSKY.
To plumb the depths of human savagery is a formidable task, and not a pleasant one. The task is undertaken with rigorous argument and scrupulous scholarship in Norman Finkelstein’s monumental “inquest into Gaza’s martyrdom.” And with undisguised passion. As he writes, “this book rises to a crescendo of anger and indignation.” It is hard to see how anyone with a shred of humanity could react differently to the bitter record unraveled here.
There have been evocative, often shattering, accounts of the tragedy of Gaza. Some of the most infuriating are live testimony from the scene during the periodic escalations of the crimes: among them the reports by the remarkable Norwegian surgeon Mads Gilbert from the trauma wards of al-Shifa hospital and the painful daily reports by the courageous Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer. There have also been studies by prestigious commissions of inquiry and by the major international human-rights groups, all mined in Finkelstein’s inquest. Understanding has also been enriched by work of fine journalists and scholars. But in its comprehensive sweep, deep probing and acute critical analysis, Finkelstein’s study stands alone.
Concluding his inquest, Finkelstein cites warnings by UNCTAD and other international monitors that Gaza could become literally uninhabitable by 2020 “due to ongoing de-development, eight years of economic blockade and three operations” from 2009 to 2014. The grim figures on the availability of potable water, energy and housing, on unemployment and dependence on humanitarian aid even for food, depict all too clearly the nature of the catastrophe as 2020 approaches.
Responding to the imminent catastrophe, President Trump ordered that the U.S. contribution to UNRWA — “a lifeline for Palestinians” — be cut to one-sixth the scheduled funding. As he explained, he saw no reason to fund people who show “no appreciation or respect” as he dangles before their eyes his “ultimate deal” while handing Greater Jerusalem over to Israel.
The idea that nearly two million people, median age 17, are locked by force in a small cage that is soon to become uninhabitable while the world looks away is almost unfathomable. True, there is sometimes a reaction of disgust; in one recent case, on May 14, 2018, when, on the eve of Nakba Day, split-scene photographs appeared showing Israeli snipers expertly murdering desperate Gazans protesting their martyrdom, alongside images of Ivanka Trump smiling happily with a beaming Netanyahu at the celebration of the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. But such moments are rare.
Visiting Gazan health centers after the Israeli atrocities of spring 2018, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl found scenes that were “shocking and deeply disturbing,” including “a pattern of entry and exit wounds that indicates ammunition used caused severe damage to internal organs, muscle tissue and bones.” One hundred seventeen were killed by Israel forces during peaceful protests and 1,200 injured, many at a distance from the troops and posing no imaginable threat — even a young woman bravely tending to the injured. What he found is “truly staggering,” Krähenbühl reported.
Morrissey
(University of California Press, 2018)
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/09/30/noam-chomsky-on-finkelsteins-gaza-book/
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