296 - Norman Finkelstein: Gaza SHATTERED Israel’s Story | October 7, Three Years Later

<p>Norman Finkelstein is a political scientist and author who received his PhD in politics from Princeton University. His work focuses on political theory, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Holocaust. In this episode, Norman and Robinson discuss Gaza, Israel, and the Middle East three years after October 7. More particularly, they talk about changing public opinion, free speech on American campuses, Norman’s rejection of the claim that Netanyahu knowingly allowed the attacks, Israel’s goals in Gaza and the wider region, and Iran’s confrontation with Israel and the United States. They also discuss Donald Trump’s political appeal, Bernie Sanders, China’s role in the conflict, Hannah Arendt, Norman’s mother’s testimony at a Nazi war-crimes trial, and his friendship with Noam Chomsky. Norman’s recent book is Gaza’s Gravediggers: An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places (OR Books, 2026).</p><p><br /></p><p>Norman’s Website: <a href="https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Gaza’s Gravediggers: <a href="https://orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gravediggers/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gravediggers/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>OUTLINE<br />00:00:00 Introduction<br />00:01:02 What We’ve Learned Since October 7, 2023<br />00:06:00 The Sheer Insanity of Israel’s War on Gaza<br />00:09:06 Why Young People See Themselves in Gaza<br />00:12:51 Jewish-Muslim Unity<br />00:14:02 How Free Speech Crumbled Over Gaza<br />00:24:05 Why Won’t Anyone Review Norman Finkelstein’s New Book?<br />00:29:04 Did Netanyahu Allow Hamas to Attack on October 7th?<br />00:35:31 Why Israel Still Backs Netanyahu<br />00:41:12 Finkelstein: Israel Is a Lunatic Society<br />00:53:55 How Did Hamas Get Past Israeli Intelligence?<br />00:59:06 Israel’s Three Goals After October 7<br />01:07:53 What Hezbollah Lost With Nasrallah<br />01:09:32 Think Twice Before You Play with Iran<br />01:11:10 Can Anyone Control Israel?<br />01:13:36 Israel Underestimated Iran’s 5,000-Year-Old Civilization<br />01:30:01 The Two Things Trump Really Cares About<br />01:40:17 Trump Isn’t Media-Savvy—His Opponents Are Phony<br />01:54:43 Talking About Trump Is a Waste of Time</p><p><br /></p><p>Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.</p>