Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom

Political-science professor Finkelstein (Method and Madness), a controversial voice in the contentious debate over Israel’s role in the Middle East, establishes his sharp focus here not on Gaza generally but on “what has been done to Gaza” in a succession of Israeli actions, particularly Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009), Operation Pillar of Defense (2012), and Operation Protective Edge (2014). He delineates that “what has befallen Gaza is a human-made human disaster,” likening it to American policies of Native American removal. Heavy with supportive documentation (footnotes outstrip the text on occasion) and often dense in officialese from the reports of various entities involved (including the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International), Finkelstein debunks much of what he sees about Gaza in the U.S. media and government as reflecting the work of the Israeli lobby. “Perusing this book will require infinite perseverance,” Finkelstein warns, and readers with limited familiarity with the major actors on the ground, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Authority, may feel more overwhelmed than informed. On the other hand, readers with fixed positions, either in agreement or disagreement with Finkelstein, will find much to engage with here. (Jan.)