Professor Who Openly Supports Hezbollah is Denied Tenure

By Pamela Mortimer

Norman Finkelstein is an ousted political science professor who once worked at the famed DePaul University. Finkelstein, who has previously announced beliefs that the Jews exploited the legacy of the Holocaust, has made a public declaration of support for the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Finkelstein’s departure from DePaul was a direct result of his opinions regarding the Holocaust. It’s ironic that Finkelstein is the son of Holocaust survivors. However, the former professor’s support has now gone toward Hezbollah. Finkelstein recently appeared in a televised interview on a Lebanese television station.

According to Finkelstein, his opinions regarding Hezbollah are "rarely heard."

"I have no problem saying that I do want to express solidarity with them, and I'm not going to be a coward and a hypocrite about it," Finkelstein told Future TV. "I don't care about Hezbollah as a political organization. I don't know much about their politics and anyhow, it's irrelevant."

Hezbollah, an organization funded by Syria and Iran, has been known to engage in terrorist activities worldwide. U.S. government officials consider the organization to be an opposing force to creating peace in the Middle East. Hezbollah is also listed by the as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. It is believed that Al Qaeda is the only group who has killed more Americans than Hezbollah.

Richard Miniter, a terrorism analyst at the Hudson Institute, says that Finkelstein’s support for Hezbollah would be illegal if he was involved in fundraising for the group.

"If terrorists are able to use his name to fundraise in any way, that would be illegal," said Miniter.

Finkelstein reiterated his controversial beliefs about the Jews in the interview. According to Finkelstein, Jews had to resist Communism in World War II, and he believes that the Lebanese people will have to do the same in regards to accepting or rejecting Hezbollah.

Finkelstein has also said that Israel must suffer a defeat to lead to peace in the Middle East.

Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor and supporter of Israel, believes that Finkelstein’s remarks show that he is "anti-American".

"If it’s not literal treason, it certainly is treason in spirit," Dershowitz said in an interview with FOXNews. "He belongs with Hezbollah."

"This is a man who supports an organization that recently called for terrorist attacks against Jews and Americans all across the world," Dershowitz said.

Finkelstein’s first public splash occurred when he fought DePaul University, a private Catholic school based in Chicago, on its decision last fall to cancel his courses and deny tenure which Finkelstein felt he deserved after serving six years as a faculty member.

Dershowitz, agreed that DePaul had every right to deny Finkelstein's tenure, saying that Finkelstein’s support for Hezbollah proves that the university made a good descision.

"To have an American citizen endorsing the views of a group of Iranian-funded Lebanese murderers, it shows you that the biggest front in the War on Terror is the propaganda war," Miniter said. "Days like today, it looks like we’re losing."