From Publishers Weekly
Noting that he has been working on versions of these arguments since 1967, famed Harvard law professor 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"; a "vastly underpopulated" late 19th-century Palestine, to which European Jews began emigrating; and a 75-year-long Arab-Israeli war that features "Arab nations dedicated to genocidal aggression against civilians." Each of the 32 chapters begins with a commonly heard accusation against Israel, with long quotes from reputable "Accusers" (including newspapers and intellectuals), followed by "The Reality" as Dershowitz sees it, and "The Proof," often drawing on the historical record.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Dershowitz is one of the nation's most prominent and visible defense attorneys, and he is also an ardent, eloquent, but not always uncritical defender of Israel. 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. He also convincingly refutes several other oft-repeated myths, including the supposedly benign treatment of Jews in Arab lands and the "cycle of violence" canard that morally equates Palestinian suicide bombings with Israeli efforts to arrest or kill bombers before they act. As usual, Dershowitz is a passionate but generally fair and honest advocate for his position. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
* Noting that he has been working on versions of these arguments since 1967, famed Harvard law professor 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""; 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."" Each of the 32 chapters begins with a commonly heard accusation against Israel, with long quotes from reputable ""Accusers"" (including newspapers and intellectuals), followed by ""The Reality"" as Dershowitz sees it, and ""The Proof,"" often drawing on the historical record. With a 150,000 first printing, a $150,000 marketing budget, a Today Show appearance on September 4 and an author tour, expect lots of discussion. (Sept. 2) (Publishers Weekly, August 4, 2003)""...I recommend even more strongly [then The New Anti Semitism and A New Anti Semitism?] the handbook The Case for Israel..."" (Sunday Telegraph, 5 October 2003)
""Dershowitz is especially effective at pointing to the hypocrisy of many of Israel's critics."" (The New York Times - Book Review, November 9th, 2003)
""...It should be read by all who seek to be genuinely informed on the Middle East conflict..."" (The Jewish Chronicle, 9 January 2004)
Review
"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
"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
"This is a powerful and brilliantly argued book by a life- long 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
"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
"The Case for Israel is a marvelous primer for supporters of that beleaguered state who want to d efend 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
From the Publisher
"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
"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
"This is a powerful and brilliantly argued book by a life- long 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
"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
"The Case for Israel is a marvelous primer for supporters of that beleaguered state who want to d efend 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
From the Inside Flap
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.
From the Back Cover
"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"The Jewish nation of Israel stands accused in the dock of international justice. The charges include being a criminal state, the prime violator of human rights, the mirror-image of Nazism, and the most intransigent barrier to peace in the Middle East. Throughout the world?from the chambers of the United Nations, to the campuses of universities?Israel is singled out for condemnation, divestment, boycott, and demonization. Its leaders are threatened with prosecution as war criminals. Its supporters are charged with dual loyalty and parochialism.
"The time has come for a proactive defense of Israel to be offered in the court of public opinion. In this book, I offer such a defense?not of every Israeli policy or action, but of its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism, and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. I also try to present a realistic picture of Israel, warts and all, as a flourishing multiethnic democracy, similar in many ways to the United States, that affords all of its citizens?Jews, Muslims, and Christians?far better lives and opportunities than those afforded by any Arab or Muslim nation. Most important, I argue that those who single out Israel for unique criticism not directed against countries with far worse human rights records are themselves guilty of international bigotry. . . . But when the Jewish nation is the only one criticized for faults that are far worse among other nations, such criticism crosses the line from fair to foul, from acceptable to anti-Semitic."
?from The Case for Israel
About the Author
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.
