Finkelstein on not 'talking to ourselves'

Finkelstein on Israel/Palestine and activist-strategy in general.
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Politics, says Finkelstein, is not about what you personally want or believe, it’s about the maximum you can realistically achieve within the existing framework. In the matter of public opinion, the law is the framework, the furthest we can go in any argument. If we are advocating for something which is on the other side of the law, such as dismantling Israel as a state, then we lose the broad public, we lose our credibility. We no longer have the law as a common horizon that gives us credibility among people who don’t know us, we are just talking to ourselves.

And remember, as Finkelstein points out, the law is completely on our side in this matter. The Palestinians won in every aspect. The International Court of Justice, the highest judicial branch in the world, voted unanimously in favour of the Palestinian cause. Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, are Palestinian territory under International Law. The occupation, the siege, the annexation, are illegal under International Law. The settlements are illegal under International Law. The wall is illegal under International Law. Israel has a legal right to exist as a state within the pre-June 1967-borders, meaning Israel has to withdraw immediately from Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

link:http://mondoweiss.net/2017/08/finkelstein-international-solidarity/

Video from Finkelstein talk in Halifax in 2015, . It kept crapping out as I watched it but I did manage to listen to the whole thing by reloading several times. Too bad the Q&A session following his talk is not on here because it really highlighted his pragmatic approach to the issues.

link:https://vimeo.com/113736786