''Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History'' is a book by
Norman G. Finkelstein
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Nor ...
published by the
University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facul ...
in August 2005. The book's focus is on a critique of Israel supporters' defense of Israel's stance in the
Israel-Palestine conflict, including their use of the concept of
anti-semitism. A major theme of the book is a polemic with
Alan Dershowitz's earlier book ''
The Case for Israel'' (2003) (see also
Dershowitz–Finkelstein affair).
Finkelstein on the book
Finkelstein's doctoral dissertation was to disassemble a book by
Joan Peters
Joan Peters (née Friedman; April 29, 1936 – January 5, 2015), later Caro, was an American journalist and broadcaster. She wrote the 1984 book ''From Time Immemorial'', a controversial account of the origins of the Palestinians.
Life
Peters ...
, ''
From Time Immemorial
''From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab–Jewish Conflict over Palestine'' is a 1984 book by Joan Peters, published by Harper & Row, about the demographics of the Arab population of Palestine and of the Jewish population of the Arab wo ...
'' (1984), which claimed that
Palestine had been largely empty in the early 20th century, and that both Jewish and Arab ethnic groups were
immigrants. Finkelstein declared the book a fraud.
Two decades later, Finkelstein saw the record of the
Israel-Palestine conflict as much less complex than previously. Finkelstein claims that the official
Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
"Exodus version," that
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
radio broadcasts had instructed the
Palestinians
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
to flee, has been largely swept away. He believes that proof of this became available in the 1960s but had little impact. In the late 1980s, however, some studies, including some by
Israelis
Israelis ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵלִים, translit=Yīśrāʾēlīm; ar, الإسرائيليين, translit=al-ʾIsrāʾīliyyin) are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Je ...
, claimed to dispel much of what Finkelstein refers to as "the Zionist
mythology
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...
" enveloping the origins of the conflict. Some scholarly debate now focuses on much narrower questions such as whether what in Finkelstein's view was "
ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal, extermination, deportation or population transfer ...
" was the intentional consequence of Zionist policy or the unintentional by-product of the
1948 Arab-Israeli war
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form Britis ...
. The topic remains controversial, particularly in Israel, where mainstream historians continue to dispute the view of Israel's 1948 war of independence presented by Finkelstein.
In ''Beyond Chutzpah'' he analyses "The Not-So-New '
New Anti-Semitism
New antisemitism is the idea that a new form of antisemitism has developed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, tending to manifest itself as anti-Zionism and criticism of the Israeli government. The concept is included in some definitions ...
'" from published sources. Finkelstein argues that the spectre of the "new anti-semitism" has been invented by supporters of Israel to brand any serious
criticisms of Israel's human rights abuses as anti-semitism. The aim, Finkelstein contends, is to silence
criticism of Israel's policies and to provide a cover for that country's expansionistic and illegal policies in the Palestinian territories. In the second part he analyses
Alan Dershowitz's book ''
The Case for Israel'' (2003).
Dershowitz lawsuit
In ''Beyond Chutzpah'' Finkelstein documents what he claims is the falsification of Israel's human rights record by Dershowitz and his plagiarism of research from Joan Peters' book ''From Time Immemorial''. In response, Dershowitz's lawyers wrote letters to the University of California Press threatening a lawsuit if they published the book. At one point, Dershowitz called on the Governor of California,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
, to intervene on his behalf, to stop the book from being published, but the Governor refused. Eventually, Dershowitz backed off and the book was published by UC Press, albeit with some minor modifications as a result of Dershowitz's threat.
Reviews
Amahl Bishara reviewing the book for 2005/2006 issue of ''The Arab Studies Journal'' wrote that the book is "an extremely well-researched account" that effectively "dismantles" Dershowitz's arguments.
Stephanie Farmer writing for ''
Arab Studies Quarterly'' in 2006 echoed Bishara, arguing that "Finkelstein' s examination reveals more than the dubious scholarship of Dershowitz", raising "important questions on the general lack of academic standards for Zionist scholars" and gets "the human rights record of the abuse of Palestinians to penetrate the bulwark of Zionism in the academy".
In 2007,
As'ad AbuKhalil in his review for ''
Journal of Palestine Studies'', wrote that "This is a book that should be recommended to all", as it successfully and carefully rebuts "the crude (and not-so-crude) elements of Israeli propaganda in the West".
Also in 2007,
Lisa Hajjar writing for ''
Human Rights Review'' noted that the book is a rather successful critique of Dershowitz claims, although notes that it is strongly polemical, perhaps too strongly, and that the real value of the books is in its analytical footnotes and appendices rather than in the aggressive prose.
Baruch Kimmerling, professor of sociology at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
wrote in 2007 that ''Beyond Chutzpah'' is "the most comprehensive, systematic, and well-documented work of its kind. It is one of the harshest—rational and nonemotional—texts about the daily practices of the
occupation and
colonization
Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
of the
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The ...
by
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, and it is an excellent demonstration of how and why the blind defenders of Israel, by basing their arguments on false facts and figures, actually bring more damage than gains to their cause."
Marc Saperstein, professor of Jewish history at
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, presi ...
, wrote in conclusion of his review of ''Beyond Chutzpah'' for ''
Middle East Journal'': "if you are looking for a book that gathers for polemical purposes every anti-Israel argument in the arsenal of its opponents, and if you enjoy the rhetorical style of the arrogant academic pit bull, this may be the book for you. If you are looking for balance, fairness, context, a critical weighing of evidence on different sides of a controversial issue ... you will not find them here".
Awards
The University of California Press was awarded a prize for "sustained contributions to the promotion and defense of academic freedom in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
" by the
Middle East Studies Association for publishing the book in the face of Dershowitz's threats.
See also
*
Dershowitz-Finkelstein affair
*
New Historians
References
{{Authority control
2005 non-fiction books
Books by Norman Finkelstein
Books critical of Israel
Israeli–Palestinian conflict books
University of California Press books