The Case for Israel
Encyclopedia
The Case for Israel is a New York Times bestseller
by Alan Dershowitz
, a law professor at Harvard University
. The book responds to common criticisms of Israel.
The book is divided into several chapters, each of which addresses what Dershowitz identifies as being particularly strong accusations and myths about Israel, such as "Israel is the 'prime' human rights violator in the world" and "Israel is the cause of the Arab–Israeli conflict
." Each chapter is divided into several sections. "The Accusation" states a common criticism of Israel, "The Accusers" lists several quotations from critics supporting the accusation, "The Reality" contains a short statement contradicting the accusation, and "The Proof" contains Dershowitz's explanation of his viewpoint. Edward Said
and Noam Chomsky
are among the critics that he quotes the most heavily.
Dershowitz has released a sequel in 2005 championing the two state solution. The book, The Case for Peace
, explains what he believes is needed to be done in order to achieve peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
.
says the book is a hoax and says that some of its citations are plagiarized from From Time Immemorial, a book by Joan Peters
. In the 2005 book "Beyond Chutzpah," Finkelstein cites 20 different instances where Dershowitz borrows quotations, including long quotations with ellipses in exactly the same place as in Joan Peters' book. Dershowitz also claims in the book that 2,000-3,000 Palestinians were displaced by Arab authorities, citing a book by Benny Morris
as the source. The book by Benny Morris actually states that 200,000-300,000 Palestinians were displaced. After a heated debate between the two on Democracy Now!
Finkelstein released a book, Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History
, where the second part is about The Case for Israel. Although repeatedly being approached by third parties to debate the book Dershowitz refused on the ground that he had a "longstanding policy against debating Holocaust deniers, revisionists, trivializers or minimizers"
. Former Harvard president Derek Bok exonerated Dershowitz of the plagiarism charges. Dr. Frank Menetrez looked into Finkelstein's claims and in his 26-page study entitled Dershowitz v. Finkelstein: who's right and who's wrong reaches the conclusion that Dershowitz is indeed guilty of fraud and plagiarism. In a later article commenting on the case Menetrez writes "(...) the book Dershowitz was accused of plagiarizing contained 20 identical errors in a mere 21 lines of text. (...) There was no way Dershowitz could have independently generated exactly those 20 errors—he must have copied them."
Michael Neumann
, a professor of philosophy at Trent University
, wrote a book entitled The Case Against Israel published by CounterPunch
in response to The Case for Israel.
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
by Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He has spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where in 1967, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history...
, a law professor at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. The book responds to common criticisms of Israel.
The book is divided into several chapters, each of which addresses what Dershowitz identifies as being particularly strong accusations and myths about Israel, such as "Israel is the 'prime' human rights violator in the world" and "Israel is the cause of the Arab–Israeli conflict
Arab–Israeli conflict
The Arab–Israeli conflict refers to political tensions and open hostilities between the Arab peoples and the Jewish community of the Middle East. The modern Arab-Israeli conflict began with the rise of Zionism and Arab Nationalism towards the end of the nineteenth century, and intensified with the...
." Each chapter is divided into several sections. "The Accusation" states a common criticism of Israel, "The Accusers" lists several quotations from critics supporting the accusation, "The Reality" contains a short statement contradicting the accusation, and "The Proof" contains Dershowitz's explanation of his viewpoint. Edward Said
Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
and Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
are among the critics that he quotes the most heavily.
Dershowitz has released a sequel in 2005 championing the two state solution. The book, The Case for Peace
The Case for Peace
The Case for Peace: How The Arab–Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved is the sequel to The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz.-Summary:Dershowitz was originally planning to write The Case Against Israel's Enemies, however, after the death of Yasser Arafat the author chose to focus on more positive and...
, explains what he believes is needed to be done in order to achieve peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
.
Critical reception
The political scientist and author Norman FinkelsteinNorman Finkelstein
Norman Gary Finkelstein is an American political scientist, activist and author. His primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is a graduate of Binghamton University and received his Ph.D in Political Science from Princeton University...
says the book is a hoax and says that some of its citations are plagiarized from From Time Immemorial, a book by Joan Peters
Joan Peters
Joan Peters is a former CBS news producer of otherwise unnamed documentaries, and the author best known for a number of theses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, put forward in her book From Time Immemorial, published in 1984 in which she claims that the Palestinians are largely not indigenous...
. In the 2005 book "Beyond Chutzpah," Finkelstein cites 20 different instances where Dershowitz borrows quotations, including long quotations with ellipses in exactly the same place as in Joan Peters' book. Dershowitz also claims in the book that 2,000-3,000 Palestinians were displaced by Arab authorities, citing a book by Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
as the source. The book by Benny Morris actually states that 200,000-300,000 Palestinians were displaced. After a heated debate between the two on Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
Finkelstein released a book, Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History
Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History
Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History is a book by Norman G. Finkelstein published by the University of California Press in August 2005.-Finkelstein on the book:...
, where the second part is about The Case for Israel. Although repeatedly being approached by third parties to debate the book Dershowitz refused on the ground that he had a "longstanding policy against debating Holocaust deniers, revisionists, trivializers or minimizers"
. Former Harvard president Derek Bok exonerated Dershowitz of the plagiarism charges. Dr. Frank Menetrez looked into Finkelstein's claims and in his 26-page study entitled Dershowitz v. Finkelstein: who's right and who's wrong reaches the conclusion that Dershowitz is indeed guilty of fraud and plagiarism. In a later article commenting on the case Menetrez writes "(...) the book Dershowitz was accused of plagiarizing contained 20 identical errors in a mere 21 lines of text. (...) There was no way Dershowitz could have independently generated exactly those 20 errors—he must have copied them."
Michael Neumann
Michael Neumann
Michael Neumann is a professor of philosophy at Trent University in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of What's Left? Radical Politics and the Radical Psyche , The Rule of Law: Politicizing Ethics and The Case Against Israel , and has published papers on utilitarianism and rationality.-Background...
, a professor of philosophy at Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
, wrote a book entitled The Case Against Israel published by CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
in response to The Case for Israel.
See also
- HasbaraHasbaraPublic diplomacy in Israel refers to public relations efforts to disseminate information about Israel. The term is used by the Israeli government and its supporters to describe efforts to explain government policies and promote Israel in the face of what they consider negative press about Israel...
- Right to ExistRight to ExistRight to Exist: a Moral Defense of Israel's Wars is a book by Israeli historian Yaacov Lozowick, the director of archives at the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority....
by Yaacov LozowickYaacov LozowickYaacov Lozowick , is a German-born Israeli historian and writer. He was the director of the archives at Yad Vashem.-Biography:Yaakov Lozowick was born in 1957 in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. In 1980, he gained qualifications as a tourist guide. In 1982, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in history... - The Case for PeaceThe Case for PeaceThe Case for Peace: How The Arab–Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved is the sequel to The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz.-Summary:Dershowitz was originally planning to write The Case Against Israel's Enemies, however, after the death of Yasser Arafat the author chose to focus on more positive and...
- The Case For DemocracyThe Case for DemocracyThe Case for Democracy is a foreign policy manifesto written by one-time Soviet political prisoner and former Israeli Member of the Knesset, Natan Sharansky. Sharansky's friend Ron Dermer is the book's co-author...
by Natan SharanskyNatan SharanskyNatan Sharansky was born in Stalino, Soviet Union on 20 January 1948 to a Jewish family. He graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold displays, usually against... - Bibliography of the Israeli-Palestinian conflictBibliography of the Israeli-Palestinian conflictThis is an incomplete bibliography of the Arab-Israeli conflict.-General History:* Bregman, Ahron . Israel's Wars: A History Since 1947. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-28716-2* Bregman, Ahron Elusive Peace: How the Holy Land Defeated America....