Uh, the way I read it the interviewer took Finkelstein apart, confirming the figure of 2,000-3,000 Palestinian Arabs allegedly expelled by Jewish forces during the Israeli War of Independence because those Arabs lived in sensitive military areas (right near the runways of the main airport). By contrast, 200,000-300,000 Arabs left because they didn't want to live in a Jewish-majority state. Of course, there was a parallel movement of Jews from the Arab-majority areas into the Jewish-majority areas, and few of those Jews moved for any other reason than fear of massacres. This is the story which Finkelstein tried to take apart by quoting Benny Morris, another fellow who, like Finkelstein, is an anti-Zionist Jew.
Further confusing the debate is that fact that Morris, like Dershowitz, has been moving rightward and no longer endorses the 2,000-3,000 figure, much less Finkelstein's 200,000-300,000. How could this confused mess possibly be construed as one in which Deshowitz was taken apart?
MY GOODMAN: I'm looking at page 256 of Morris book.
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Phase two now same one as you. You're talking about . . .
AMY GOODMAN: About 2,000 to 3,000 Arabs fled their homes.
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: The difference between 2,000 and 3,000 and 200,000 and 300,000. You could check this many times, Mr. Dershowitz. But you are really going to have to pay the $10,000. I hope you allow me to earmark it for Jenin.
I misread the ending the first time around, I guess. Dershowitz had quoted Morris's book correctly and Finklestein still insisted that was inaccurate, after the quote on Page 256 of Morris's book was read by the interviewer, or whatever....
It is an important point to Israelis that they weren't chasing hordes of Palestinians out of the newly declared state in 1948 as has been accused by Arabs, while it can be easily proven that Arabs chased hundreds of thousands of Jews out of their countries during that time. For once I'm on Dershowitz's side, although he did come across as a windbag during most of the interview.