cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30175558

Timestamps and Generated Summary below:

Video Description:

Two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed on Wednesday evening by a man who yelled “Free Palestine.” The man allegedly wrote a manifesto, and it isn’t clear yet what his motives are, his mental state, if he was a lone actor, or as our guest today puts it: “crazy.”

Useful Idiots: Let's start with the top news in the US: the shooting of two Israeli embassy officials outside an event in Washington, DC. What we know so far is that the alleged shooter chanted Free Palestine. There's also a manifesto that's been purported to be written by him, although we haven't confirmed that. With so much going on in Gaza, atrocities day by day, it feels a little inhuman to talk about two deaths in Washington when there's thousands of deaths going on in Gaza. But what is your reaction?

Norman Finkelstein: Well, my first reaction is that you have to have the facts and make a careful evaluation on the basis of the facts. When I first read about it this morning, I thought it had occurred at the Israeli consulate. And I assumed it was a Palestinian who had committed the action. And my first reaction was to remember the [Polish Jewish] fellow Herschel Grynszpan, who assassinated the second-level diplomat in the German legation in Paris in 1938.

He reacted in sheer horror at what was being done to the Jews. And he did an act. Of course, the Germans called it an act of terrorism, and that's what triggered Kristallnacht. I'm not aware of any [historians] who condemned him for the act, even though you could say it was not a very smart thing to do because it triggered Kristallnacht.

So that was my initial reaction. But then that turned out to be wrong because of two things. It didn't occur in the Israeli consulate. It occurred in front of a Jewish museum in Washington. And secondly, it's unclear at this point whether the alleged perpetrator was even aware that these two people worked in the Israeli consulate. So that throws a large number of variables into the equation. There seems to be this big disconnect between a sophisticated manifesto and a fellow just going randomly in front of a Jewish museum in Washington and attempting to assassinate two people who presumably he thought were Jewish.

So everything remains foggy now. I would say for me, the bottom line is it could have been a nutty guy. That's always possible. It could be a smart guy with a crazy project. It could be a crazy guy with a crazy project.

Subscribe to hear the full interview with Norman Finkelstein – 50 MINUTES longer. Norman reveals the “main enabler” of the genocide, calls out the New York Times for its coverage of the Israeli embassy shooting, discusses his debate with “that thing called Destiny,” and gives his prediction for how quickly Israeli crimes will be forgotten.

Timestamps:

1. 00:00 Intro
2. 01:14 Dems want power until death
3. 03:20 Trump's Big Beautiful Bill
4. 08:10 MSM coverage of Israeli embassy shooting
5. 10:26 ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt on the shooting
6. 14:31 Norman Finkelstein interview preview
7. 15:50 Israeli Embassy Shooting: Norm's Initial Reaction
8. 21:58 GOP Congressman wants to NUKE Arab countries
9. 25:05 Norm's Take on Israel
10. 38:56 The "Main Enabler" of the Genocide

Generated Summary:

Main Topic: The video features Norman Finkelstein discussing the shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington D.C., the media coverage surrounding it, and the broader context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly the situation in Gaza.

Key Points:

• Initial Reaction to Shooting: Finkelstein initially thought the shooting occurred at the Israeli consulate and was perpetrated by a Palestinian, drawing a parallel to Herschel Grynszpan. However, he later learned it occurred at a Jewish museum and the shooter's motives were unclear.
• Shooter's Motives and Manifesto: The shooter allegedly chanted "Free Palestine" and may have written a sophisticated manifesto, creating a disconnect with the seemingly random nature of the attack.
• Media Coverage Disparity: The hosts and Finkelstein criticize the disproportionate media coverage of the embassy shooting compared to the ongoing deaths and atrocities in Gaza, including malnutrition deaths and Israeli attacks.
• ADL and Jonathan Greenblatt: The discussion touches on Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and his attempt to link the shooting to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, accusing him of using "genocidal rhetoric."
• Israeli Government's Response: The video highlights the Israeli government's blaming of Israeli Democratic Party leader Yair Golan for the shooting, due to his criticism of Israel's actions.
• Broader Context of Israeli Society: Finkelstein discusses the current state of Israeli society, suggesting that the events of October 7th have unleashed previously repressed "demons" and allowed for the public espousal of hateful views. He contrasts this with Nazi Germany, noting that while Germans may have had some ignorance, Israelis are fully aware of the situation in Gaza.
• Legitimacy of Israel: The discussion raises the question of whether Israel loses its legitimacy as a state due to its actions over the past 19 months.

Highlights:

• Finkelstein's historical perspective, drawing parallels to Herschel Grynszpan and the US war with Japan.
• The critique of media bias and the selective valuing of lives.
• The discussion of the internal dynamics within Israeli society and the extent of public support for the actions in Gaza.
• Randy Fine, a Florida congressman, suggesting nuking the whole Arab world.

About Channel:

Useful Idiots is an informative and irreverent politics podcast with journalists @aaronjmate and @kthalps