Finkelstein seems like an elitist.
Yeah, I think Finkelstein's extreme dislike for Destiny has less to do with Destiny's positions on the conflict, than with Finkelstein's ego being bruised by Destiny (imo correctly) calling him a hack fraud moron.
One big criticism levelled at Finkelstein is that he quote mines things people say out of context to support very extreme statements that are sometimes in direct contradiction of what the person he quoted said in the full passage Finkelstein lifted a sentence or two from.
For example in this debate he quotes Morris, who sits right there, to support the claim that Zionists wanted to expel the Arabs from the start, but Morris says he was really talking about the lawful and peaceful acquisition of land by Jewish landowners, not at all violent expulsion. Finkelstein just ignores that reply, repeats the claim that Morris argued the position Finkelstein said he did, and adds more claims, which I think Morris responds to pretty well by saying you can't just take random statements made by historical figures and assume they are descriptive of general feelings and events. Finkelstein again doesn't really respond to that and talks about reading Morris's book, and how Morris supported Finkelstein's claim. He keeps coming back to that even after Morris said several times he is misrepresenting him and explaining how. It's mind numbing, even on 2x speed.
Finkelstein loves to brag about his credentials and how many books he read, but the arguments, he gives are based on deception and his style is obfuscation and manipulation. "I read 10,000 books", "I did my doctoral dissertation on Zionism". Then why can't he make arguments to support his ideas aside from quote mining? I guess it's tough for "historians" who don't know the languages most the primary documents and relevant scholarship is written in. In the light of that: "I speak slowly because I place value on what I say."
Finkelstein goes on about motormouth this and that, but it is Finkelstein who can't wait his turn to speak and blows his fuse.
Around 2h40min Finkelstein starts to talk over the other side while they are making their point, says he will answer a question, and then starts to talk about another topic when they allow the interruption in that light, then when his bullshit is interrupted in turn because it's irrelevant, he starts to act like the biggest victim for being interrupted and insults Destiny. His smug look after he thought he scored a point when he was allowed to regurgitate a memorized speech was so childish, same as his "forgetting" Destiny's name.
Combine that style with his extreme arrogance and glacial talking speed and he becomes painful to listen to.
I think both Morris and Rabbani had points where they looked better than the other, but people who say Finkelstein looked better than Destiny, or even good at all, are delusional. It was Finkelstein, not Destiny, who was disruptive and got personal to avoid addressing arguments he didn't like or mistakes he made.
An example paraphrased:
Destiny: "What data are those assessments about the living situation in Gaza pre October 7th actually based on?"
Finkelstein: "I have no idea. I never looked into it. I just quote the conclusion blindly in my books and speeches. I cannot comprehend methodology or material conditions."
No wonder he preferred to use insults rather than answer.