Norman Finkelstein: Can Anyone STOP Israel? | October 7, Three Years Later

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). Norman’s Website: https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/ Gaza’s Gravediggers: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gra... OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:02 What We’ve Learned Since October 7, 2023 00:06:00 The Sheer Insanity of Israel’s War on Gaza 00:09:06 Why Young People See Themselves in Gaza 00:12:51 Jewish-Muslim Unity 00:14:02 How Free Speech Crumbled Over Gaza 00:24:05 Why Won’t Anyone Review Norman Finkelstein’s New Book? 00:29:04 Did Netanyahu Allow Hamas to Attack on October 7th? 00:35:31 Why Israel Still Backs Netanyahu 00:41:12 Finkelstein: Israel Is a Lunatic Society 00:53:55 How Did Hamas Get Past Israeli Intelligence? 00:59:06 Israel’s Three Goals After October 7 01:07:53 What Hezbollah Lost With Nasrallah 01:09:32 Think Twice Before You Play with Iran 01:11:10 Can Anyone Control Israel? 01:13:36 Israel Underestimated Iran’s 5,000-Year-Old Civilization 01:30:01 The Two Things Trump Really Cares About 01:40:17 Trump Isn’t Media-Savvy—His Opponents Are Phony 01:54:43 Talking About Trump Is a Waste of Time Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.