Rating: 
Summary: THE CASE FOR ISRAEL by Alan Dershowitz
Review: THE CASE FOR ISRAEL by Alan Dershowitz
Reviewed by Bernard J. ShapiroAlan Dershowitz is widely respected as one our nation's most brilliant
Professors of Law (Harvard University) and defense attorney. His has a
resolute and unshakable belief in the liberties granted to Americans in the
Bill of Rights and is ready to defend them. These qualities make him an
ideal defender of Israel. Israel faces an onslaught of anti-Semitic propaganda generated by the
Islamic/Arab nations and joined by both the Fascist Right and Extreme Left
in Europe, the US, the UN and many other nations from Africa to the Far
East. Dershowitz organizes his book like a good defense attorney organizes
his case. There are 32 chapters in his book representing the 32 major
accusations or slanders against Israel. He presents each in the following
order: the accusation, the accuser, the reality and finally the proof. This
format is easily understood by any reader and performs an immeasurable
service to the defense of Israel's reputation in a world full of hostility
and distorted hatred toward it. There are many places in the book where Dershowitz interjects his own
philosophy and conception of what is best for Israel and the prospects for
"peace" in the Middle East. Examples of this can be found in his acceptance
of the following: 1. That a two-state solution is good
2. There is a real possibility for peace in the Middle East
3. That nations like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia have accepted Israel in
their region
4. Israel must help create a Palestinian State by withdrawing from the
"occupied" territories
5. That Jewish residents of YESHA (Judaea, Samaria, & Gaza) are extremist
because they oppose withdrawal from their homes and the creation of a
Palestinian State. Each of these positions could be soundly be rejected in an honest debate
based on intelligence/strategic analysis, geographic/hydrological analysis
and a study of Islamic/Arab history and psychology. This, of course, is not
the purpose of this book review. Despite differences, I still believe that
Dershowitz's book is extremely valuable and should be on every bookshelf of
persons interested in separating fact from anti-Semitism and Arab propaganda
from the history of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. The chapters include detailed discussion and analysis of history and
international law. Some examples are listed below: 1. Is Israel a Colonial, Imperialist State?
2. Did European Jews displace Palestinians?
3. Have the Jews Exploited the Holocaust? Or did the Arabs Join Forces with
the Nazis to Exterminate the Jews of Palestine and Europe?
4. Was the U.N. Partition Plan Unfair to Palestinians?
5. Did Israel Create the Arab Refugee Problem and Who Has Prevented Its
Solution?
6. Did Israel Start the Six-Day War?
7. Has Israel Engaged in Genocide against Palestinian civilians?
8. Is Targeted Assassination of Terrorist Leaders Unlawful?
9. Is There a Moral Equivalence between Palestinian Terrorist and Israeli
Responses? 10. Why Do So Many Jews and Even Israelis Side with the Palestinians? Remember there are 32 (not 10) of these chapters and this is what makes this
book so unique in its defense of Israel. Dershowitz concludes with a concept
that the Israel is "the Jew among the nations." In other words the
anti-Semites look at Israel as a macrocosm of "the Jews" they hate, fear
and wish to destroy. Other writers have used this analogy, but Dershowitz
carries it much further with his astute analysis and historical
presentation. I hope readers of this review will look past any ideological differences
with Dershowitz and take advantage of this excellent book as a necessary
preparation to defend Israel against its many accusers. ====================
Bernard J. Shapiro is the Executive Director of the Freeman Center For
Strategic Studies <[website]> and editor of its monthly Internet magazine,
THE MACCABEAN ONLINE <[website]>
and editor of its daily news and commentary broadcast freemanlist.
Rating: 
Summary: He Does It Again
Review: Alan Dershowitz has finally put into print what should have been done long ago. I only hope he doesn't wind up preaching to the choir and actually convinces people that you cannot deny cold, hard facts. Israel has been discriminated against unfairly, and as a result, the world has given terrorism the green light. Anti-semites will find many faults with this book, but their history of denial goes back a long way. They'll throw around terms as "one-sided" and "biased" and yet not be able to point out ANY untruths or discrepancies presented in this book. No truly educated person can argue with the facts presented so well by Professor Dershowitz. A must read for EVERYONE.
Rating:
Summary: Finkelstein does exactly what he accuses Dershowitz of
Review: Substantively, this is an incredible book. Critics like Notrman Finkestein have attacked the author on non-substantive basis.
When Allan Dershowitz forgot where he got the term "Turnspeak" from (a term, by the way, that has become part of the Zionist vernacular), Finkelstein actually accused him of not writing his own book!! Most reasonable people thought this was a bit captious, as this is a commonly used pro-Israel term (and most of us can't remember where we heard it from first). To Finkelstein, this is evidence of fraud!
Yet Finkelstein, himself has been suffering memory lapses. For instance, while knowing enough detail about Mark Twain's book, Innocents Abroad, to recognize that both Peters and Dershowitz cited the wrong page of that book, Finkelstein, himself, kept calling the book by the wrong name in his debate with me!! When I called Finkelstin on this, he simply said, he was "tired after a long trip and lecture." Yet, when Dershowitz forgets, hey, call the media... it's "fraud"!!!
Examples of deception from Finkelstein include the Holocaust Industry. Read, for example, p. 108 re: his charterization of what Bronfman "acknowledges" and then follow up to see what Bronfman actually says!!!! It's actually amazing that this man critizes others of what he, himself, is doing!!!
The biggest blow for Finkelstein came when, one of his idols, Peter Novick, wrote an article about Finkelstein's book, where Novick stated that Finkelstein distorted facts, and his work was replete with "egregious misrepresentations," "false accusations" and "absurd claims."
Now remember, this is Finkelstein's idol!! Finkelstein has praised, endorsed, as well as extensively cited Professor Peter Novick' work, and apparantly Novick was his inspiration for writing The Holocaust Industry (in fact, the latter book alledgedly evolved out of a glowing book review by Finkelstein on Novick's work). Mention this criticism to Finkelstein, and he'll get incredibly emotional, and call you all sorts of names!!!
Dershowitz's book is not a history book. The hisorical overview is skirted over in a chapter or 2. It is a cogent argument for the case for Israel. This is something his critics can not challenge, so, those who should not be throwing stones, attack the author, rather than the facts.
Unlike Finkelstein's misrepresenting what Bronfman actually said, Twain said precisely what Dershowitz said he did, word for word. No one argues against that. Instead, they attack the footnoted reference, as citing the wrong page!!!! Boy...what fraud!!!
The book presents a very powerful argument that has only be challenged with ad hominem attacks, as opposed to attacks on actual substance.
Rating:
Summary: Unlikely to change your point of view
Review: The question of Palestine is a very political one, and it can be no other way. One must come down, in varying degrees, on the one side or the other.
Dershowitz presents a case, stylized somewhat in the manner of a court hearing, on behalf of Israel. Dershowitz is interesting because, as a "sandle-wearing lefty", his position is diametrically opposed to the orthodox left position, a platform very ably argued by Noam Chomsky and Edward Said. Chris Hitchens, another thoroughly interesting man of the left, manages to be pro-Iraq-war and at the same time pro-Palestinian, which probably goes to show there is nuance here that Dershowitz does not have time to visit.
Ultimately most of us rely on others to research and argue a case for us, and if, as has been charged, Dershowitz simply repeats out-of-date discredited old chestnuts then so much the better for his critics. I judge the book to be a success, then, passionately arguing one side, an easy read, and either convincing or vacant depending on your preconceptions.
Rating:
Summary: Oh no! They quoted the same sources!
Review: I've read the claims by Finklestien that this book was "plagerised" and they seem to be a lot of hot air. His big complaint is that Dershowitz quotes some of the same sources as Peters. The only thing that seems even close is his claim that Dershowitz used Peters' quasi-Orwellian term "turnspeak." Which, in the end, doesn't have a whole lot to do with Dershowitz's arguments and certainly isn't enough to discredit the whole book.
Writing the book as a legal argument, Dershowitz goes through every claim made against Isreal and proves the claims to be either false or misguided. The defense isn't perfect. Dershowitz's language can get fierce and he tends to repeat himself, but some arguments are important enough to be reiterated. Throughout this book he proves that the Isrealis, while they have made mistakes, had a significant enough population to deserve a state, that the Palestinans were offered peace at countless times yet responded with terrorism, and that Isreal is far from a human rights violator. However, in spite of some strong language, Dershowitz is fair and realizes that simply criticizing of Israel is not anti-semitism. He himself has criticized Isreal and is in favor of a Palestinian state, although not without compromise on BOTH SIDES.
This is a well-researched and thought-out book that deserves to be read by people on both sides. Don't believe the anti-hype.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the Critics
Review: A couple of reviewers here would have you believe that author Norman Finklestein proved, during an interview on "DemocracyNow" that Dershowitz's book is plagiarized from Joan Peter's 'From Time Immemorial'. They also claim that Finklestein has shown Dershowitz's book to be filled with factual errors and misleading information. So in the spirit of open-mindedness, I read the entire transcript of the debate between Finklestein and Dershowitz. In fact, what it showed is that Dershowitz was able to counter every claim made by Finklestein. The so-called plagiarism was nothing more than Dershowitz and Finklestein quoting some of the same authors. For example, they both quote Mark Twain on his observations while travelling through Palestine. The Twain quote is authentic, and both author's credit Twain in their footnotes. That is simply NOT plagiarism. In fact, when asked by Dershowitz to define plagiarism, Finklestein was unable to answer.
What, you may wonder, was Finklestein's strongest argument against Dershowitz? In 'The Case for Israel', Dershowitz tries to show that a large number of Palestinians left their land in order to clear a path for the invasion of Israel. He cites a source that puts this figure at 2000-3000. Finklestein counters that the source in question actually put the figure at 200,000 - 300,000. Therefore he concludes that Dershowitz has misrepresented the facts. This accusation is nothing short of bizarre. Remember that Dershowitz's point is that a large number of Palestinians left their land to facilitate Israel's destruction. If he wanted to misrepresent the facts in order to bolster his theory, he would seek to inflate that number, not reduce it 100-fold. As Dershowitz points out, this may have been a typographical error (omitting two zeros) or it may have been a reference to just one sub-phase of the migration (i.e. just one settlement or town). If Finklestein is correct about the number, then he has actually added more support to Dershowitz's thesis. The bottom line: Don't believe those who would have you to dismiss this book as a fraud. Dershowitz has gone to great pains to have every fact in the book independently verified.
Rating:
Summary: Finally some truth
Review: I am far to the left of almost all liberals on almost all issues. I am a radical, and I am disgusted by both Republicans and Democrats. The one issue that differentiates me most from liberals is Israel. They support the Satanic terrorists who target children on school buses, and they think that is the liberal position to take. I just don't get it. Finally, someone put forward the truth on this issue. The truth is that Israel is fighting for its life in an insane part of the world where they are hated, where the Holocaust isn't over, where Hitler still lives.
If I was in charge of Israel I wouldn't be anywhere near as mild as the Israelis are towards the terrorist Palestinians. I'd be at war with them. I'd push them off the land, period. If those $@#^&#^& can't accept my right to live, I can't accept their right to be my neighbor. They forfeit all their rights, including their right to life, when they encourage their own babies to kill themselves on the chance that they will take a Jew with them.
There will be no peace in the Middle East until the bigoted Arabs stop spewing hatred of Jews on their radio and tv, in their newspapers, mosques and schools.
A "liberal" told me that I was a racist because I didn't also say that there couldn't be peace in the Middle East until the Jews stopped hating the Arabs. Baloney. The Jews aren't the problem. The Jews want peace. How do you have peace when some *@^&*%@#@$ are targeting your children and your women for first degree murder? You don't. The fault is entirely on the Arabs, on the Palestinians, on that dead $&%@$^ Arafat.
I know that to a liberal I sound wrong and one-sided. But you have to stand up and tell the truth, regardless of who it offends.
If you disagree, I challenge you to read this book. If you do, and if you have a usable brain in your head, you will finally understand what has been going on in Israel and Palestine the past 80 years or so, and you will finally understand what is behind today's headlines. It is the Arab-Muslim determination to prevent the Jews from controlling any territory at all in the Middle East, even the size of a postage stamp, despite the fact that they are the majority in the areas they control.
The Jews can only live in peace in Arabia if they accept slave status, if they accept having rocks thrown at their grandparents by Arab three-year-olds without any recourse to correct the situation.
It is important for you to read this book if you disagree with the above comments. Dershowitz presents you with the truth. Check it out. How many times in your life do you have the chance to do a 180 on an important issue. Dershowitz will teach you something you don't already know. I highly recommend this book to people who disagree with me, to otherwise principled people, to liberals, to those who consider themselves ethical. It's time you discovered the truth. If you don't read this side of the issue you don't have a right to an opinion. And if you aren't a stubborn oaf, Dershowitz will definitely convince you of the truth of his position.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid, Elegant Defense of Israel from Alan Dershowitz
Review: I am probably one among many who doesn't need to be persuaded by Harvard University Law School professor Alan Dershowitz's spirited, yet thoughtful, defense of Israel and its right to exist; with the possible exception of Turkey, Israel is still the only democratic state in the Middle East, and as Dershowitz so elegantly points out, one of the most humane countries with respect to treatment of prisoners and waging urban warfare against terrorists (He contrasts Israel's humane treatment of prisoners and waging urban warfare with the United States' conduct of both in Iraq; to Israel's credit, it has enjoyed far greater success with both issues than has the United States.). He notes correctly the genocidal nature of Arab wars against the Jews, and then, the predominantly Jewish state of Israel in Palestine, since the early 1920's. He also reminds us how much the Palestinian leadership during World War II - especially its Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (whom Dershowitz mentions is a relative of Yasser Arafat, but doesn't note that the Grand Mufti was Arafat's uncle) - not only condone, but assisted Nazi Germany in its Holocaust against the Jews (The Grand Mufti was charged as a war criminal at the Nuremberg War Crime Tribunal but escaped prosecution by fleeing to Egypt; among his many heinous acts against humanity was persuading Hitler to send Hungarian Jewish children to such "lovely" resettlement camps as Treblinka and Auschwitz. The Grand Mufti was an adamant Anti-Semite, committed to the eradication of the Jewish people by any means necessary; had Hilter won, the Grand Mufti would have constructed a Nazi "resettlement" camp outside of Nablus to deal with the "Jewish problem" in Palestine.). Dershowitz successfully uses quotes by Israeli critics to support his reasons why every canard ever levelled against Israel is not only patently false, but borders on antisemitism, if it isn't already a virulent example of it. He offers very compelling reasons, based on ample fact from both Israeli and Arab sources, why each war Israel has been involved in since 1948 has been a genocidal war of aggression waged by its Arab neighbors who have sought not only to wipe out the Israeli state, but also its people, primarily by massacres. Dershowitz's short tome is written in the style of an "amicus" brief in the court of world opinion; it is one which should be read by everyone, including those who feel justified in criticizing Israel.
Rating: 
Summary: The Case for Israel; The Facts Against Dershowitz
Review: I believe I have been pre-empted, but anyone who has actually read this book should not have any worries left about evidence to seek Mr. Dershowitz' removal from Harvard Law School. The sheer stupidity of what he is arguing is only secondary to the fact that major parts of the books have been plagiarized directly from Joan Peter's 'From Time Immemorial'. The following two links should prove beyond any semblance of doubt that not only is the book plagiarized, but even the case it purportedly presents is fundamentally flawed.
[...]
Rating:
Summary: A Monumental Fraud
Review: Norman G. Finkelstein has provided all the evidence, in the presence of the author on Democracy Now to prove conclusively that this book has been plagiarized from Joan Peter's 'From Time Immemorial' and ironically enough, Joan Peter's book itself was exposed as a hoax back in 1984.
Visit Democracy Now for the highly entertaining debate between Alan Dershowitz and Norman Finkelstein.
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