Visiting Jewish-American scholar Dr. Norman Finkelstein brought a surprise message to Canadians on his recent tour -- there is now a real possibility of a just peace in the Middle East, he says.

His message differs from what noted Israelis have told Canadians, that most Israelis are comfortable with the status quo (in part because of massive U.S. military and economic aid) and that Israel's government will continue its illegal settlements and land grabbing to ensure that Palestinians remain a permanently occupied and oppressed people in their own homeland.

But Dr. Finkelstein, a prominent critic of Israel’s policies in the Middle East, explained during his talk at Carleton University on Jan. 12, that swift changes in that region and the West are thwarting Israel and the U.S. He said the process will accelerate if people in the West pressured their governments to push for a just settlement.

Among the factors that the American political scientist and author feels will push the parties towards a settlement, is the changing attitude of American Jews, particularly the youth. Where they used to vigorously defend Israel, they now find it increasingly difficult to reconcile their values with Israeli actions. They no longer see Israel as an embodiment of liberal, humanitarian values.

Israeli repression of Palestinians and illegal settlements apart, Israel's attack on Lebanon in 2006 where in the last 72 hours of the war, despite the proclamation of a ceasefire, Israel dropped four million cluster bombs, killing and maiming on an ongoing basis innocent men, women and children, and its dropping white phosphorus on hospitals during its attack on Gaza in 2009, shocked American Jews. Dr. Finkelstein stated that some American Jews still support Israel and attribute criticism of Israeli brutality to anti-Semitism. But most avoid the subject because such barbarity horrifies them.

The son of holocaust survivors, Dr. Finkelstein said other Americans and Westerners are also dramatically changing their perceptions of the Middle East and believe that Israel bears the major, but not full, responsibility for the impasse. They are now speaking out more against the oppression.

Dr. Finkelstein noted that a poll held by the European Commission late last year revealed that nearly 60 per cent of Europeans said yes when asked if Israel presents a threat to peace, putting it at the top of the list, ahead of Iran, North Korea and the US, each of which polled 53 per cent.

During the Palestinian statehood bid, he continued, most people across 19 countries polled by the BBC favoured the Palestinians. In the U.S., he added, two polls suggested that 45 per cent supported the Palestinians while 25 to 35 per cent were opposed despite the false propaganda of American politicians and the media.

Dr. Finkelstein declared that the Arab Spring has toppled Israel's strongest Arab ally, Egypt. As well, Israel's traditional ally, Turkey, now strongly opposes Israel's illegal and inhumane siege of Gaza and strongly champions human rights and justice.

He asserted that Iran backs the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's policy of favouring a two-state solution. Even Hamas is willing to accept a two-state solution, even though in principle it views the creation of Israel as unjust. The only obstacles to a just settlement in the Middle East are Israel and the U.S., and now Canada, he declared.

Dr. Finkelstein said that most Israeli settlers were lured to the occupied territories by government patronage and were assisted in moving to Israel. In his view, they would leave if they were refused subsidies and government protection. Another possibility is a reasonable exchange of equivalent land, he declared.

Ottawa was Dr. Finkelstein’s third stop during his speaking tour of Eastern Canada from Jan. 11-14. This is the second time in recent months that Dr. Finkelstein has spoken in Canada courtesy of the Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, a grassroots organization that seeks to promote justice and peace in the Middle East by presenting the real picture.

His talks draw crowds, as do those of other Jews or Israelis who seek to promote peace. Canadians benefit from such discussions in that they present a more balanced picture of the Middle East than the distorted one they get from the government and most of the mainstream media. Such lectures are welcomed on campuses, underlining Dr. Finkelstein's statement that youth, in particular, are repelled by the savagery in the Middle East and they do not trust the government or the mainstream media for truth about the Middle East.

Dr. Finkelstein is the author of several books including: The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, and This Time We Went Too Far: Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion. His next book is titled, Knowing Too Much: Why the American Jewish Love Affair with Israel is Coming to an End.

Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant, and refugee judge.