Norman Finkelstein on Gaza, October 7 and the case for genocide

Sep 14, 2026

A long argument that Israel's war in Gaza meets the definition of genocide, framed as damning for Israel, its American backers, and the universities that punished critics.

  • Gaza's crisis is traced back to 1948, when expelled refugees became most of its population, and to the blockade imposed after Hamas won a 2006 election judged free and fair.
  • The scale of destruction since October 7 is described as far beyond anything seen before: hundreds of thousands of homes flattened, most schools wrecked, and children making up roughly a third of the dead.
  • The stated goal is called ethnic cleansing rather than extermination — killing until Gazans leave — with mass death as the method.
  • Claims that Hamas used rape as a systematic weapon on October 7 are rejected as unsupported: thousands of images and hours of footage exist, but none showing it, and the star witnesses never say they were raped.
  • Wealthy donors are blamed for forcing out three Ivy League presidents and chilling speech in universities, hospitals and cultural institutions, aided by deportation threats.

Outlook: No legal reckoning is expected, since Washington shielded the campaign and a UN resolution has already handed oversight of Gaza's future to Trump.

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