Finkelstein Flunks

Norman Finkelstein wages battle.

From its initial encounter with Palestine the Zionist movement confronted a seemingly intractable dilemma: How to create a Jewish state in a territory that was overwhelmingly non-Jewish? Israeli historian Benny Morris observes that Zionists could choose from only two options: "the way of South Africa"--i.e., "the establishment of an apartheid state, with a settler minority lording it over a large, exploited native majority"--or "the way of transfer"--i.e., "you could create a homogeneous Jewish state or at least a state with an overwhelming Jewish majority by moving or transferring all or most of the Arabs out."

During the British Mandate period (1917-1947) Zionist settlers labored on both fronts, laying the foundations of an apartheid-like regime in Palestine while exploring the prospect of expelling the indigenous population.

Ah, so they did nothing else?

Mapam did nothing.

Ihud did nothing.

Brit Shalom did nothing.

Mapai and its Histadrut did absolutely nothing.

There was no cooperation. No negotiations. No mediation.

Finkelstein flunks history.