Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom

"In its comprehensive sweep, deep probing and acute critical analysis, Finkelstein's study stands alone."&;Noam Chomsky"No one who ventures an opinion on Gaza . . . is entitled to do so without taking into account the evidence in this book."&;The InterceptThe Gaza Strip is among the most densely populated places in the world. More than two-thirds of its inhabitants are refugees, and more than half are under eighteen years of age. Since 2004, Israel has launched eight devastating &;operations&; against Gaza&;s largely defenseless population. Thousands have perished, and tens of thousands have been left homeless. In the meantime, Israel has subjected Gaza to a merciless illegal blockade. What has befallen Gaza is a man-made humanitarian disaster. Based on scores of human rights reports, Norman G. Finkelstein's new book presents a meticulously researched inquest into Gaza&;s martyrdom. He shows that although Israel has justified its assaults in the name of self-defense, in fact these actions constituted flagrant violations of international law. But Finkelstein also documents that the guardians of international law&;from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the UN Human Rights Council&;ultimately failed Gaza. One of his most disturbing conclusions is that, after Judge Richard Goldstone's humiliating retraction of his UN report, human rights organizations succumbed to the Israeli juggernaut. Finkelstein&;s magnum opus is both a monument to Gaza&;s martyrs and an act of resistance against the forgetfulness of history.