Unwelcome guest

Apartheid, land grabs and collective punishment are a good start, but for Israel, the best way to make sure the irony of being called the only democracy in the Middle East stands out is by silencing its critics. Lucky, then, that Norman Finkelstein decided to show up at a Ben Gurion airport on his way to visit friends in Israel and Palestine. With as much reason as Israeli security ever gives, Finkelstein—interviewed in the Mirror on May 1—was hauled into a Shin Bet interrogation room upon landing, detained for about 24 hours, then deported with a 10-year ban from the nation.

Arriving in Israel from Amsterdam en route to Hebron, Finkelstein was promptly apprehended and taken to a Shin Bet lock-up. He was interrogated about his contact with Hezbollah, accused of having ties to al-Qaeda, and had what he describes as “several unpleasant moments with the guards.” Finkelstein says he answered all questions candidly and in as much detail as possible.

“I have nothing to hide,” he said. “Alas, no suicide missions or secret rendez-vous with terrorist organizations.” Regardless, he was sent packing.

The deportation and ban was condemned by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, calling the decision to do so “typical of a totalitarian regime.”

by SCOTT SAXON