The Case for Israel
Aussie Dave | Oct 10, 2004 | 6 comments
In his new book The Case for Israel, Harvard Professor of Law and distinguished appellate lawyer Alan Dershowitz takes on the case of a new client. This client has already been judged in the international arena, which has proclaimed her guilty of every charge. Even OJ Simpson has enjoyed a much weaker presumption of guilt than this client.
This client is, of course, the State of Israel.
Like the excellent advocate that he is, Dershowitz approaches this case in a very logical, structured manner. Each chapter begins with an accusation against Israel, such as:
European Jews displaced PLO Arabs
The UN Partition Plan was unfair to PLO Arabs
Israel created the Arab refugee problem
The Israeli occupation is the cause of all the problems
Israel has not made serious efforts at peace
Israel is a racist state
Targeted assassinations of terrorist leaders are unlawful
Dershowitz then provides examples of these accusations by way of quotes from various accusers. Needless to say, the names Edward Said and Noam Chomsky appear on numerous occasions.
Dershowitz follows each accusation and example with a short summary of the reality, followed by a comprehensive proof. By the end of each proof, you cannot help but feel that each accusation has been shot to pieces.
While the book essentially comprises of many different accusations levelled against Israel, each dealt with on its own merits, one can detect common themes which run throughout the pages of this book; that since the inception of the modern State of Israel, the Arab states have constantly attempted to eliminate it; many Arab states, and indeed PLO Arabs, have yet to renounce this goal; Israel has constantly shown its desire to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict; Israel has been singled out for criticism by the world community, despite its relatively good human rights record; and that the claims of the PLO Arabs have been singled out for special treatment, despite the more compelling claims for self-determination by such groups as the Tibetans and Kurds.
While Dershowitz’s arguments are consistently strong, it are the chapters on Israel’s relatively good human rights records that perhaps resonate the loudest, due in no small part to Dershowitz’s reputation as a leading civil rights advocate.
My only criticism of of the book is that Dershowitz is prone to advocating his own views regarding a solution to the Middle East conflict, as well as domestic Israeli issues. While it is interesting to hear what a great mind like Dershowitz has to say about these matters, I believe that it is beyond the scope of a book designed to comprehensively rebut specific accusations against Israel. Many of these insights do nothing to enhance the rebuttals, and distract from the issues at hand.
Nevertheless, The Case for Israel is an excellent defence of the State of Israel against its many accusers, and is mandatory reading for all who are genuinely interested in knowing the facts behind the Middle East conflict.
Book review: The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
I’m glad you reviewed this, I have been thinking about reading it for quite some time. It’s going on my list for next reading.
I’ll have to second it that this book is requried reading…plus Mr Dershowitz says that his next book will be “The Case Against Israel’s Enemies“. Can’t wait to read that one.
I read this book last July and found it very useful. Every pro-Israel facing fallacious left-wing arguments every day should read this book to expand one’s arsenal of facts about the Middle East conflict. This book makes the other side look even more stupid.
This book is written in the form of a legal brief. He does not seek to defend particular policies of the current Israeli government. In fact, Dershowitz has frequently criticized some Israeli policies toward Palestinians, particularly regarding West Bank settlements. Rather, here he attempts to rebut what he views as the more general and blatantly discriminatory criticisms of Israel as a state and culture. Some of these criticisms deny the “right” of Israel to exist. In response, Dershowitz asserts both the practical and moral justification for the continued existence of Israel as Jewish state.
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thanks to weight loss i am not a fatty anymore.
Do you really enjoy reading books that instigate to violence ?
You have a point there, Dershowitz offers “a proactive defense of Israel,” a kind of amicus brief to “the court of public opinion.” Not least among the exhibits are a WWII-era Muslim Palestinian leader who was “a full fledged Nazi war criminal, and he was so declared at Nuremberg”, with a history of alcoholism; a “vastly under populated” late 19th-century Palestine, to which European Jews began emigrating; and a 75-year-long Arab-Israel war that features “Arab nations dedicated to genocidal aggression against civilians.”