The Case for Israel

Even as Israel boldly offers statehood to Palestinians in exchange for an enduring peace, many academics and activists — primarily but not exclusively from the hard left — have gone on the attack against Israel, deriding it as an imperialist power bent on oppressing the Palestinians. On prominent campuses across the United States and throughout the world, petitions circulate asking universities to divest holdings in Israel and to boycott Israeli Jews without regard to their individual views. Virulent opponents of Israel have accused that democracy of unspeakable human rights abuses, while many who believe otherwise remain silent. Now, in this impassioned and closely argued book, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz sets the record straight and explains why Israel, while not perfect, is in fact the sole outpost of liberty and democracy in the Middle East — a country that has earned the right to exist within secure boundaries and defend itself.

Drawing on scrupulous, unbiased research and his peerless skills as an advocate, Dershowitz conclusively refutes thirty-two separate slurs, slanders, and misrepresentations that have been hurled at Israel in recent years, including:

• Israel is a colonial, imperialist state
• The Jews have always rejected the two-state solution
• The Jews have exploited the Holocaust
• Israel's victimization of the Palestinians has been the primary cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Israel created the Arab refugee problem
• Israel tortures Palestinians
• Israel's targeted assassinations of terrorist leaders are unlawful
• Israel is the "prime" human rights violator in the world
• Universities should divest from Israel and boycott Israeli scholars

In demolishing these charges, Dershowitz documents how Israel was founded with the blessing of the United Nations — and how it was Arabs, not Israelis, who initiated the cycle of violence that still persists today. He proves that the division of Palestine between Israel and the Palestinians has long been accepted by Israel and rejected by most Arabs. He demonstrates why Israeli actions in the West Bank and Gaza are not motivated by territorial ambitions, but by the very real sense that Israel is under attack. And he shows how critics of Israel gloss over the terrorism, human rights abuses, and antidemocratic ideologies of other regimes in the region, substituting bigotry and veiled anti-Semitism for objective analysis.

Well reasoned, hard-hitting, and provocative, The Case for Israel is essential reading for anyone who cares about Israel and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"Dershowitz is...an ardent, eloquent, but not always uncritical defender of Israel....As usual, Dershowitz is a passionate but generally fair and honest advocate for his position." Jay Freeman, Booklist

"Dershowitz offers a lively, hotly argued broadside against Israel's increasingly venomous critics, although Israel's friends may well wonder if the Jewish state should feel relieved or uneasy about joining the ranks of such earlier Dershowitz causes as Claus von Bulow and Leona Helmsley." Warren Bass, The Washington Post Book World

"Alan Dershowitz's detailed and penetrating analysis of the issues that fuel the continuing war in Israel should be read by everyone interested in reaching a fair conclusion as to how that tragic conflict should be ended. Every charge leveled by Israel's opponents is dealt with lucidly and convincingly by one of the nation's brightest minds and most effective advocates." Mario M. Cuomo

"Eric Hoffer wrote in the '60s about the phenomenon of the assimilated Jew who would, to prove his worth to his betters, oppose the state of Israel and call it conscience. I applaud Professor Dershowitz for his consistent, principled, and reasoned defense of Israel, and, so, of the Jewish people." David Mamet

"In a world in which Israel seems always to be the accused, regardless of the facts, Alan Dershowitz's defense offers an oasis of sanity and straight talk. It may be too much to hope that Israel's accusers will read this powerful and persuasive response to their charges. It is not at all too much to ask that fair-minded observers do so." Floyd Abrams

"In this important book, as in many of his writings, Alan Dershowitz remains an ardent and courageous defender of Israel and what the law stands for." Elie Wiesel

"This is a powerful and brilliantly argued book by a lifelong champion of law, freedom, and human rights. Dershowitz faces down the Big Lies one by one and proves that Israel is not guilty of colonialism, apartheid, or 'Nazism.' Anyone who cares about Israel — and about the truth — will find this essential, even life-saving reading." Phyllis Chesler Ph.D, author of The New Anti-Semitism: The Current Crisis and What We Can Do About It

"The Case for Israel is a marvelous primer for supporters of that beleaguered state who want to defend Israel from the calamities falsely ascribed to it by its worldwide enemies. Dershowitz has summarized those false accusations and provided the facts, enabling the reader to respond to the anti-Semites and those who are hostile to Israel. More than a great read, it is essential if you want to be equipped to defend Israel in the world of conversation and debate." Edward I. Koch

"The Case for Israel is indispensable reading for those of us who are deeply disturbed by the rise of anti-Semitism in American society, even on college campuses." Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Chairman, Department of African and African-American Studies at Harvard

Written in Alan Dershowitz's characteristic hard-hitting style, The Case for Israel defends Israel and its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism, and to protect its borders from hostile enemies. This timely and controversial analysis sets the record straight, addressing the accusations leveled against Israel by responding with hard facts and documentation.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-257) and index.

The Case for Israel is an ardent defense of Israel's rights, supported by indisputable evidence.

• Presents a passionate look at what Israel's accusers and detractors are saying about this war-torn country.
• Dershowitz accuses those who attack Israel of international bigotry and backs up his argument with hard facts.
• Widely respected as a civil libertarian, legal educator, and defense attorney extraordinaire, Alan Dershowitz has also been a passionate though not uncritical supporter of Israel.

Alan Dershowitz is a Felix Frankfurter professor of law at Harvard Law School, one of the nation?s foremost appellate lawyers, and a distinguished defender of individual liberties. He appears frequently on television and writes numerous articles for the New York Times and other newspapers and magazines. His many books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Chutzpah as well as The Vanishing American Jew, Why Terrorism Works, Shouting Fire, and, most recently, America Declares Independence, also from Wiley.

Acknowledgments
Introduction 1
1 Is Israel a Colonial, Imperialist State? 13
2 Did European Jews Displace Palestinians? 22
3 Was the Zionist Movement a Plot to Colonize All of Palestine? 29
4 Was the Balfour Declaration Binding International Law? 32
5 Were the Jews Unwilling to Share Palestine? 39
6 Have the Jews Always Rejected the Two-State Solution? 45
7 Have the Jews Exploited the Holocaust? 53
8 Was the U.N. Partition Plan Unfair to Palestinians? 63
9 Were Jews a Minority in What Became Israel? 67
10 Has Israel's Victimization of the Palestinians Been the Primary Cause of the Arab-Israeli Conflict? 70
11 Was the Israeli War of Independence Expansionist Aggression? 74
12 Did Israel Create the Arab Refugee Problem? 78
13 Did Israel Start the Six-Day War? 91
14 Was the Israeli Occupation without Justification? 95
15 Was the Yom Kippur War Israel's Fault? 100
16 Has Israel Made Serious Efforts at Peace? 104
17 Was Arafat Right in Turning Down the Barak-Clinton Peace Proposal? 117
18 Why Have More Palestinians Than Israelis Been Killed? 123
19 Does Israel Torture Palestinians? 134
20 Has Israel Engaged in Genocide against Palestinian Civilians? 140
21 Is Israel a Racist State? 154
22 Is the Israeli Occupation the Cause of All the Problems? 158
23 Has Israel Denied the Palestinians Statehood? 163
24 Is Israel's Policy of House Destruction Collective Punishment? 166
25 Is Targeted Assassination of Terrorist Leaders Unlawful? 173
26 Is Settlement in the West Bank and Gaza a Major Barrier to Peace? 176
27 Is Terrorism Merely Part of a Cycle of Violence? 178
28 Is Israel the Prime Human Rights Violater in the World? 181
29 Is There Moral Equivalence between Palestinian Terrorists and Israeli Responses? 189
30 Should Universities Divest from Israel and Boycott Israeli Scholars? 197
31 Are Critics of Israel Anti-Semitic? 208
32 Why Do So Many Jews and Even Israelis Side with the Palestinians? 217
Conclusion: Israel — the Jew among Nations 222
Notes 245
Index