Norman Finkelstein calls Israel 'nation of child killers' in Tucker Carlson interview

Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 09/15/2026 - 19:16 The scholar called Benjamin Netanyahu the 'perfect reflection' of Israeli society, in an interview that has sparked widespread reaction online

Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson hosted political scientist Norman Finkelstein on The Tucker Carlson Show, which was published on Monday (Screengrab/YouTube) Off

American political scientist Norman Finkelstein described Israel as a “nation of child killers” in an interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson that has gone viral online.

During an almost two-hour appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, published on Monday, Finkelstein, a prolific author and longtime critic of Israel, said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the “perfect reflection of Israeli society".

One clip circulating widely online focused on Finkelstein’s response to complaints that Jewish-Israeli students at Harvard University have felt isolated or unwelcome amid tensions over the war on Gaza, referencing the campus-wide student protests calling out Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Finkelstein said he supported pluralism and inclusivity, but drew the line at Israelis who had participated in the war.

“I’m all for inclusive. I’m all for being pluralistic. I’m all for a big tent, but you know what my big tent does not include? Child killers. I’m not going there,” he said.

“For all I know, after World War Two, this or that guard in a Nazi concentration camp went back to school to get a degree. You want me to be inclusive of the people that exterminated my family? I’m not going to be inclusive of child killers.”

“Israel has become a nation of child killers. They kill children for play. There is ample documentation of snipers killing children, drones killing children.”

Finkelstein, whose parents were Jewish survivors of Nazi concentration camps, has repeatedly accused Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian children during its assault on Gaza.

He rejected the idea that Netanyahu was an aberration in Israeli politics or society, arguing instead that the Israeli prime minister remained politically resilient because voters saw themselves reflected in him.

“Netanyahu is the perfect reflection of Israeli society,” Finkelstein said.

“He is an obnoxious, self-righteous Jewish supremacist. That’s Israeli society. So when they see him, they see themselves, and that’s why he keeps winning despite all of these corruption allegations.”

Finkelstein also spoke about his experience attempting to enter Israel while travelling to the occupied Palestinian territories, saying he had first been refused entry in 1989 before later being allowed into the country.

“In 2004 I was denied entry again, and I never returned because they don’t tell you - I was denied for ten years,” he said.

Finkelstein said he never seriously investigated the legal basis for the decision.

“I recognise that they will be displeased with the things I say, so I was not shocked,” he said, adding that Israel had gradually begun refusing entry to other Jewish critics of its occupation of Palestine.

“There were a lot of Jews who were opposing the occupation who were denied entry; there were a lot of people I know that were denied entry. I never considered it particularly significant.”

Clips spark debate online

Finkelstein’s comments describing Israel as a “nation of child killers” quickly prompted praise online.

Norman Finkelstein: "Israel has become a nation of child killers. They kill children for play

And there's ample at this point, ample documentation of snipers killing children" pic.twitter.com/5c4kaZxcgw
— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) September 15, 2026

While many online applauded Finkelstein for exposing Israel’s arbitrary ban on entry into the country for American Jews or critics of Israel, some found his answer unsatisfying, arguing that the people who have the right to return to Palestine are the people who had homes and lives there and were made refugees by Israel.

In his interview with Tucker Carlson today, Norman Finkelstein was asked why he thought he was barred from entering Israel.

“How could you be denied entry? I thought all Jews had the right to return,” Carlson asked.

I definitely understand his question. But what I don’t…
— Mosab Abu Toha (@MosabAbuToha) September 14, 2026

The unlikely pairing of Finkelstein, an avowed leftist, and Carlson, one of the most prominent figures on the American right, also generated discussion.

On social media, some supporters of the Palestinian cause welcomed Finkelstein’s willingness to appear before Carlson’s large conservative audience, arguing that it allowed criticism of Israel’s war to reach people unlikely to encounter it through left-wing media.

Great to see Tucker Carlson finally interview the amazing Norman Finkelstein.

“Israel has become a nation of child killers, they kill children for play”
-N. Finkelstein pic.twitter.com/v4jZ4Ofdu9
— Earth Hippy 🌎🕊️💚 (@hippyygoat) September 15, 2026

One highly upvoted Reddit comment said they were “glad that Tucker will platform leftists” and that Finkelstein would appear on virtually any programme, arguing that the interview could be shared with conservative relatives who would regard Carlson as a credible messenger. Others questioned Carlson’s motives and pointed to his broader political record.

Finkelstein has long been one of the most well-known critics of Israel in US academia. His scholarship and public commentary on Israel-Palestine, the Holocaust and Zionism have repeatedly generated fierce criticism as well as a substantial following among supporters of the Palestinian cause.

Carlson, meanwhile, has increasingly used his programme to host figures sharply critical of Israel and US support for it, placing him at odds with traditionally staunchly pro-Israel sections of the American right.

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