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The Case for Israel

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 631 ratings · 77 reviews

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 d...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published August 1st 2004 by Wiley (first published 2003)

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Apr 11, 2007 Barry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: israel

Tremendous resourse to educate self and others

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Mar 09, 2008 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: good place to start learning about the historical context of the arab israeli conflict

Some of these reviews inaccurately call this book "biased", which confuses me. Dershowitz quotes from historical documents...mostly from the essential British Mandate period. Just because history happens to be in Israel's favor, and not in the favor of the Palestinian Arabs (the word used to refer to one of many ethnicities who lived there, and Jews were actually the first Palestinians - by about 700 years) or some of the 59 Muslim nations that cannot tolerate a tiny Jewish nation does not make...more Some of these reviews inaccurately call this book "biased", which confuses me. Dershowitz quotes from historical documents...mostly from the essential British Mandate period. Just because history happens to be in Israel's favor, and not in the favor of the Palestinian Arabs (the word used to refer to one of many ethnicities who lived there, and Jews were actually the first Palestinians - by about 700 years) or some of the 59 Muslim nations that cannot tolerate a tiny Jewish nation does not make the book "biased" by any means.

I question people who would say "They're both wrong" without holding both sides to a previously-agreed-upon set of standards and deciding from there. To just say something is biased, or that "they're both wrong" without offering a reasonable argument as to why, just sounds rather elementary and doesn't really benefit anyone. Most people do not realize for example that Jordan (originally called Trans-Jordan) made up 80% of the British Mandate (which a small amount of world history knowledge can tell you happened to be the orginal Jewish homeland for over a thousand years) and that this 80% was literally HANDED to Palestinians Muslim Arabs for the sole purpose of establishing a Palestinians Muslim State - Jewish families who had lived on that piece of land for centuries (according to the Peel Report about 320,000 families lived there) were kicked off. Look at Jordan's laws...to this day, Jews are the ONLY people barred from owning land in Jordan. Is this fair or just? The REMAINING 20% of the British Mandate is what the Arabs continue to kill Jews over...violent killing that no human should ever be subjected to, and it's been going on since LONG BEFORE 1948.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the historical origins and facts behind the Arab-Israeli conflict. Plus, I love a good book that exposes essential facts that certain groups would do *anything* to cover up. As history has shown time and time again, hate crimes and racism have never been solved by ignoring them or pretending they don't exist.

This book takes a major step in the right direction by talking about the facts in a realistic way, and in their proper context. Plus, he de-bunks many of the myths put forward by the usual agenda-driven propagandists whose bibliographies and references are typically suspiciously skimpy (Said, Chomsky, etc). Just because many Palestinian propagandists do not care for historical facts, does not mean peaceful world citizens have to resign themselves to ignorance, as many propagandists wish they would.

Dershowitz's books (there is a follow-up to this one) provide a good place to start for scholars who are new to the subject, or anyone just curious about learning more about this pivotal region. Apparently anticipating reader skepticism on this highly-sensitive subject, Dershowitz footnotes everything he writes, directing readers to government, British Mandate, and UN documents, maps, and historical compilations by world-renowned historians. If you are a scientific-minded person who prefers verifiable facts to proaganda, this book is worth your time.

Peace can only be achived once more world citizens begin to understand the reality of what is (and has been) going on in the Middle East for centuries.
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Jan 17, 2008 Ray rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read a bunch of Dershowitz works (mostly articles) and never agreed with any of them. His book on ten incidents of injustice from the Book of Genesis was horrible in most every way.

In the Case for Israel he is no less obnoxious than usual, but he finally allows common sense to guide his analysis of the evidence.

There are more than 200 reviews already posted on this book, so I won't repeat all the details. Bur I found his format to be excellent: 32 short chapters of about 6-7 pages each. E...more I've read a bunch of Dershowitz works (mostly articles) and never agreed with any of them. His book on ten incidents of injustice from the Book of Genesis was horrible in most every way.

In the Case for Israel he is no less obnoxious than usual, but he finally allows common sense to guide his analysis of the evidence.

There are more than 200 reviews already posted on this book, so I won't repeat all the details. Bur I found his format to be excellent: 32 short chapters of about 6-7 pages each. Each chapter gives a brief "Accusation" against Israel, then quotes from "the Accusers," followed by a brief statement of "The Reality" and then a lengthier section on "The Proof."

Dershowitz destroys the arguments of the left-wing media (that he normally finds friendly to the rest of his views), Noam Chomsky, Edward Said of Columbia, etc.

This is Dershowitz's sane twin writing. He argues very hawkishly, but also pragmatically. He advocates for Israel allowing a Palestinian state by pulling out of the Gaza and the populated portions of the West Bank, retaining the unpopulated portions and a 7 mile buffer zone. (Of course Israel offered the Palestinians 95% of the West Bank, plus $15 billion compensation, and apologies several years ago and Arafat walked away from the deal).

My disagreements with Dershowitz are all pretty mild:
1. In chap. 21 he overstates his basically correct case about Israel's religious toleration. Yes, Israel goes so far as to allow Arabs to be elected to the Knesset. And they allow everyone to worship in much greater freedom than ANY of their Muslim neighbors do. But there IS favoritism in Israeli law against Muslims, and also Christians. Buddhists of Jewish descent, atheist Jews, Wicca Jews, and Jews of any other belief system can make aliyah and get citizenship in Israel, EXCEPT Jews who are openly Christian in belief.
2. His constant criticism of Noam Chomsky is fine (and true, I think), but he crosses the line by speaking of Chomsky's 'secret' agenda.
3. In defending Israel he argues that many of the criticisms leveled against her are MORE true of the U.S. For example, Israel is accused of conducting tough interrogations on suspected terrorists, but actually, Dershowtiz claims, the U.S. is more brutal on ours. Israel is accused of political assassinations (they are GUILTY!), but actually, he says, the US tries more of that (against Castro, etc.). You get the sense that Dershowitz really has less loyalty and grace toward America than he shows toward Israel.
4. At times I think he tends to be not hawkish enough given his arguments. (less)

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Sep 09, 2007 Ted rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people interested in the Middle East

This book was somewhat annoying. Obviously, Israel does exist currently and it is not really a reasonable option to eliminate the Jewish state. So why does Dershowitz act as if that is an argument that must be dealt with? It seems to me that criticism of Israel (like criticism of the U.S.) is directed at the actions of the government. Therefore, critics are hoping to change the way the Israeli govt conducts itself, not to say that Israel needs to be gone. The author does make a few good points,...more

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Oct 04, 2007 John Greenspan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in world affairs.

Of course the author has his biases. The book is needed because "The new anti-Semitism" has been defined as people who will accept a world with Jews but not a world with Israel. Dershowitz is a mainstream liberal and not an egghead like Noam Chomsky or Norman Finklestein. As a trained lawyer, Dershowitz knows that he must be careful with his facts. What I found most helpful is an appendix where he states what are legitimate disagreements about Israeli policy and what constitutes closet anti-Semi...more

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Sep 17, 2007 Peter rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was disappointed by this book's narrow agenda (it proposes primarily to refute arguments rather than establish a more generic dialog) and academic counterpunching. Each chapter purports to be a self-contained presentation of a claim and refution of that claim; unfortunately many chapters fail to form arguments I was able to make sense of. I read it hoping to educate myself on the topic; what I came away feeling was that this book was not intended for people new to the subject and that I should...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Billie Pritchett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Alan Dershowitz's Case for Israel argues that Israel, compared to other countries, has acted more ethically, more in accordance with international law, more in accordance with a universal standard of human rights, and more in accordance with any universally acknowledged civil liberties standards than any other country in a similar situation. Or, as he says in his own words: "no nation in the history of the world has faced comparable threats to its survival--both external and internal--has ever m...more Alan Dershowitz's Case for Israel argues that Israel, compared to other countries, has acted more ethically, more in accordance with international law, more in accordance with a universal standard of human rights, and more in accordance with any universally acknowledged civil liberties standards than any other country in a similar situation. Or, as he says in his own words: "no nation in the history of the world has faced comparable threats to its survival--both external and internal--has ever made greater efforts at, and has ever come closer to, achieving the high norms of the rule of law." Dershowitz, a civil rights lawyer by trade, spends the entirety of the book argumentatively challenging the specific claims of those who would want to undermine Dershowitz's thesis.

Not many people agree with Dershowitz's thesis, including what might be called the "international community." One could think of the "international community" as being citizens in other countries, the governments of other countries, the United Nations, and independent human rights organizations whose job it is to monitor the activity and progress of countries in their adherence to the "rule of law." Dershowitz, against the international community, writes:

[T]he international community--unlike Israeli citizens--has no right to single out Israel for cticicism as the worst offender when that beleagured nation is among the most commited to the rule of law. For the international community to accuse Israel of being the worst or among the worst violators of the rule of law is the international equivalent of the old anti-Semitic blood libel.

This portion just quoted contains several of Dershowitz's rhetorical strategies for defending his position. Notice first that, according to Dershowitz, only citizens of a country have the right to criticize that country. Another principle we could extract from here seems to be that if another country or independent organization accuses someone of breaking the "rule of law," they are obviously regarding that country as one of the "worst offenders" instead of, perhaps, a country offending the rule of law (not necessarily one of "the worst"). The third principle contained in this passage is that any one who makes such a criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic. The reader can draw his or her own conclusions and decide for himself or herself whether these principles seem worth adopting.

On one point it can be agreed: that Israel always stands in a sensitive position with respect to her neighbors and that it is not the worst human rights violator compared to other democracies. Nevertheless, anybody, anywhere, should be able to criticize any country for not following the rule of law. I could imagine nothing, in principle, from stopping someone from believing this.

The Israeli-Arab conflict is an extremely sensitive issue and I in no wise pretend to understand the extent of the conflict, no matter how many history books or polemics I read supporting one side or the other. At most, I could just enrich my knowledge about the wealth of opinion. This book should be able to do that for most readers. Just realize it is a polemic.(less)

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Nov 18, 2012 Rick rated it 1 of 5 stars

A laughably bad book.

Instead of this pile of tosh (of afterwards if you've already had the misfortune to read it) try Norman Finkelstein's "Beyond Chutzpah" which exposes Dershowitz's cynical distortion of the truth, wholesale misrepresentations and unacknowledged reliance on the work of others.

Michael Desch (Chair of Political Science at Notre Dame University) reviews Finkelstein's book in "The American Conservative" and sums it up well as:

"a scandal that Dershowitz's sloppy book was widely and...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Roger DeBlanck rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dershowitz confronts what he views as the falsehoods in all charges that attempt to blame Israel for starting and perpetuating the conflict with Palestinians. He presents meticulous research that vindicates Israel from all guilt regarding their accused confiscation of land in Palestine and victimization of Palestinians. On the contrary, his arguments attempt to show how Palestinians have carried out heinous crimes, stalemated the peace process, and refused compromise for statehood. Dershowitz ar...more

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May 11, 2010 Zach rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is good. Not only is it good, it is eye opening. What Alan Dershowitz is saying is that, although he does not agree with Israel's every action, they have a right to existence. After reading this book, this is now my view. What I love that Deshowitz does is the formation of each chapter. He starts off by stating the accusation, the accusers and quotes them, the reality, then the proof. There were some accusations against Israel that even I thought were true, but turned out to be over sh...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Julian Haigh rated it 3 of 5 stars

pretty good, fair on the facts or basics, but the tilt is (as acknowledged by the author) to respond to the most extreme views against Israel. I will point out, that the chapter entitled "Is Israel a Racist State?" did not respond that it wasn't. It only pointed out that Jordan, Saudi Arabia among others are racist in their immigration policies as well.

A lot of the book was taking criticism and pointing the finger at other countries or comparing Israel to the US. It was directed at maintaining s...more

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Apr 02, 2009 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book for research since it pertains to my topic for exhibition. The book was great for looking for necessary information and was organized in such a great way, which made my life so much easier! Each chapter poses a question and shows the Israeli's side on the situation. My research topic pertains to Israel and Palestine's outlook on the conflict and how they have tried to create a solution to the affair. I would not pick up this book if it wasn't for my exhibition but it was re...more

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Nov 15, 2007 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone listening to the media report on the Middle East conflict

Shelves: judaism

Dershowitz does an excellent job tearing to pieces every unfair criticism of Israel, while not clearing Israel of all wrongs, either. A must read for anyone reading newspapers, listing to radio news, or watching tv news.

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Jul 24, 2007 Sammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read this book shortly after having dinner with the author. This book put the Israel-Palestinian conflict into perspective and has helped me not only become more educated on the issue, but also remain educated on it.

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Sep 15, 2007 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of many books I have read to make sense of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Really liked the way Dershowitz presented facts and opinions. Good read for the topic.

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Feb 02, 2008 Brad keil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Here is how you can argue the morons that claim Israel has no right to exist and that the Occupied Territories are an apartheid state. Morons.

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Aug 15, 2010 Regular Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book by Alan Dershowitz, a Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, is one of a pair of books that take a close and serious look at the longstanding Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as the accusations leveled against Israel in particular. As an attorney, Dershowitz writes this first book, entitled "The Case for Israel," with the drama and precision of a moving courtroom case. He opens his remarks with a detailed and penetrating analysis of the issues that fuel the continuing...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Heather added it

Shelves: probably-won-t-finish

So I am about a third of the way through this book and I think I am going to put it on the leave of absence shelf. I enjoyed learning about the history of the Jewish people in Israel, the history of Israel and Palestine, the conflict, and many other facets of the book. I will admit that the book is redundant and the author uses the same or similar arguments to approach "new" questions. Additionally, this book seems to be geared for someone who is completely against the state of Israel, which I a...more

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May 19, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: other-non-fiction

Although titled The Case for Israel, this book is mostly written in the negative; Dershowitz generally makes The Case Against The Case Against Israel. The disadvantage of this approach is that, by the end of the book, Dershowitz convinced me that Israel is not [fill in the blank, e.g., the worst human rights violator in the world, a racist apartheid state] but didn't provide much insight into the nuances of more moderate arguments regarding individual actions/policies of Israel.

The book is stru...more Although titled The Case for Israel, this book is mostly written in the negative; Dershowitz generally makes The Case Against The Case Against Israel. The disadvantage of this approach is that, by the end of the book, Dershowitz convinced me that Israel is not [fill in the blank, e.g., the worst human rights violator in the world, a racist apartheid state] but didn't provide much insight into the nuances of more moderate arguments regarding individual actions/policies of Israel.

The book is structured as 32 independent essays, each attacking an accusation (e.g., Chapter 1: "Is Israel a colonial, imperialist state?"; 28: "Is Israel the prime human rights violator in the world?"). The Case Against Israel's analytical framework made reading fairly monotonous, but Dershowitz explains his motivation, namely, actions singling out Israel for reprimand, e.g., U.N. resolutions, campus petitions to divest Israel; a more current example is Stephen Hawking's boycott of an academic conference in Israel. The main thrust of Dershowitz's argument, as I think he would apply it to Hawking's action, is not that none of Israel's actions/policies are blameworthy (e.g., he opposes most of the settlements); it is that evaluating a country (especially if singling it out) requires comparative judgments. Thus Dershowitz might agree with some (many) of Hawking's criticisms of individual policies; but Dershowitz's analysis would cast serious doubt on Hawking's decision to boycott Israel due to its human rights record, while visiting China in 2006 (Tibet?) and attending a conference in Iran in 2007.

Substantively, Dershowitz fills the book with facts (for which he provides citations). He avoids the straw man fallacy by quoting actual men (e.g., Noam Chomsky) at the beginning of each his essays, who state the proposition Dershowitz then attacks. He provides lots of historical examples to buttress his arguments: different countries treating Jews very poorly, justifying Jewish self-determination; Israel winning wars in which it's a major participant (Six Day War of 1967), as well as being on the winning side of World Wars (I & II), in contrast with Palestine (e.g. Palestinian leadership support of Nazi efforts) and many of the surrounding countries supporting the losing side, explaining geographic changes. Again, he doesn't make these arguments to justify individual Israeli policies, but merely to demonstrate that Israel's actions, in context, compared with other countries, are not worthy of singling-out. Concretely, he suggests comparing Israel's record to France's actions during the Algerian War, to Britain's decisions regarding terrorism in Northern Ireland, and this country's in the current "War on Terror".

In keeping with his general argument in favor of context and comparative analysis, Dershowitz frames the U.S.'s aid to Israel: it's a lot of money, but it's the same amount that the U.S. gives to (combined) Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, which he argues collectively provide little of the intelligence, technological assistance, and Middle East democratic presence to the U.S. that Israel does. He also compares Israel's treatment of its minorities and political dissidents - two important aspects of human rights - with the states surrounding Israel: Dershowitz argues that Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon all treat their own minorities and dissenters worse.

In addition to facts, Dershowitz puts on his defense lawyer cap and makes impassioned arguments rooted more in morality/logic than history. These were more fun to read, although he should stop with the vacuous embellishments: "obvious" or "obviously" is in the book 12 times, while "clearly" registers 10 appearances. Despite these unfortunate word additions, his arguments are engaging, e.g., pillorying those who morally equate suicide bombing's intentional killing of innocent civilians with the (he argues subsequent, but even if temporally ambiguous) military responses targeting terrorists which sometimes incidentally kill innocents (Dershowitz provides examples of terrorists using "human shields" to bolster his point).

Overall, this book aims low and succeeds: it achieves its goal of showing that criticism of Israel must be contextualized within its history and compared with the conduct of other nations in similar situations. In this sense, it reminds me of a defense lawyer's job: not to convince a jury of the defendant's innocence, but merely to show that the government has not proved the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; here, Dershowitz demonstrates how Israel's most strident critics (asking for condemnation of Israel exclusively) fail. Thus as a reader/juror I acquit Israel of being the worst state/apartheid state/most flagrant violator of human rights; I think Dershowitz would be satisfied. But it would have been a more engaging read if the book had also explored more moderate (but still ringing) criticisms of individual Israeli policies, and provided examples of the contextual critiques to which Dershowitz argues Israel's critics should aspire. (less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Len Vandegrift rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dershowitz makes a very convincing case for the legitimacy of Israel as a modern state. According to him, the Balfour Declaration, the Peel Commission, and most recently the Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David all serve to validate Israel as a state and a people entitled to self-determination--something he also argues in favor of the Palestinians.

Dershowitz ultimately believes that a two-state solution is preferable to bi-national or expansionist options. However, he does not go into depth o...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Isadore rated it 4 of 5 stars

A detailed discussion of points and counter points regarding the history of the Israel-Arab conflicts of modern historical Israel. That's the quickest summation I can come up with.

If you're interested in the history of how things have been, why they've been that way, and what a lot of the public gets hit with versus what 'actually' has gone on, this is a book that's well worth reading. There's controversy over it, just like there is over almost EVERY book that discusses this topic. But I think D...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dershowitz takes all the arguements that we hear through the mainstream media, college professors (some of mine, actually), & even friends and methodically picks them apart using common sense, history, & actual facts. His logic is sound and history/facts back up his assertions. While Isreal is not perfect, no democratic nation is & Israel deserves much more support worldwide than it gets. The real question for everyone is: Do you really want to be found on the wrong side of history (...more

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Mar 12, 2010 Bill Varon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Harvard Law professor, Alan Dershowitz, takes all the twisted allegations and political arguments against Israel and sets the record straight with documented evidence, including tons of footnotes from hundreds of sources. Only 100 pages into it, but so far it's been enlightening to learn the Palestinians turned down additional land and a two-state solution offered by Israel multiple times, going back to the 1937 Peel Commission, the 1948 UN Accords, Camp David, and on and on. The Arab position d...more

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Sep 27, 2008 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

I give this one a sort of reluctant four stars - it's more like 3 1/2, rounded up.

I thought that all-in-all this was a very informative book about the way that the Jewish people in Israel, and to some extent in the Mideast in general, are being treated by the Arab world. I would recommend reading it, hence the "rounded up", but here are my big problems with the book:

1) I did not feel like this was an unbiased, totally objective book. Maybe I thought that I read something in a review or in the i...more I give this one a sort of reluctant four stars - it's more like 3 1/2, rounded up.

I thought that all-in-all this was a very informative book about the way that the Jewish people in Israel, and to some extent in the Mideast in general, are being treated by the Arab world. I would recommend reading it, hence the "rounded up", but here are my big problems with the book:

1) I did not feel like this was an unbiased, totally objective book. Maybe I thought that I read something in a review or in the introduction that made me think that it would be a balanced look at things, but it really wasn't. To be fair, the author did make counter arguments at times, but the book is called "The Case for ISRAEL", so there you go.

2) There were several quotes that the author used where he employed the use of multiple ellipses in the same quote. To me, if there is a quote or two like that in a nice, long book, then fine. But if that occurs too often I start to wonder about how much the author is taking out of context, especially with short quotes that still use multiple ellipses.

3) I don't really feel like the author made a real case for the existence of the state of Israel, as I thought he would from the title. It was more of a case for the mistreatment of the state of Israel by the UN, professors everywhere and obviously peoples in the Mideast. I guess that can make for a rather long and chunky title, so I can see why he shortened it although I think it's a bit of a misnomer.

4) It really bothered me to read how often the author slammed people who didn't agree with him, especially one man in particular, whose name was mentioned in disdain probably more times than any leader of any country written about in the book was mentioned. I may be exaggerating, but I'm pretty sure it's close. It just rubs me the wrong way to read a book that seems to be geared to informing a general audience about a particular issue, and read about someone over and over and over again in a really negative way who, frankly, doesn't have a lot to do with the information in the book. Granted, I'm not at an Ivy League school attending an anti-Israeli lecture by this particular man, but really. One mention of your beef with a person, fine. Two I can handle, but it literally started to detract from the message of the book toward the end.

Wow - that was really long. I'm pretty sure I've deterred anyone from reading the book (sorry), but I do give it four stars from an informational standpoint. It has made me want to get more information to understand the topic better, and that's a good thing. (less)

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Feb 19, 2009 Skylar Burris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: judaism, history, politics

The sole purpose of this book is to clear the air “of the pollutants of bigotry and falsehoods” so that “a more nuanced debate can begin over specific Israeli policies.” It is not itself a nuanced debate of policies. Dershowitz does not argue that Israel never acts in an immoral or unwise manner; he argues, rather, that (1) Israel has a right to exist and (2) Israel is not properly characterized as an evil, oppressive, criminal, murderous power. For those reviewers who have asked why he acts as...more The sole purpose of this book is to clear the air “of the pollutants of bigotry and falsehoods” so that “a more nuanced debate can begin over specific Israeli policies.” It is not itself a nuanced debate of policies. Dershowitz does not argue that Israel never acts in an immoral or unwise manner; he argues, rather, that (1) Israel has a right to exist and (2) Israel is not properly characterized as an evil, oppressive, criminal, murderous power. For those reviewers who have asked why he acts as though these are arguments that need to be dealt with, I would say because they are arguments that have been made, and not just by the neo-Nazi on the street or by the Muslim straight from a school of indoctrination, but by western academics and journalists as well. Dershowitz sees this book as a necessary precursor to any reasonable debate about Israeli policy taking place. In other words, there’s no use trying to carry on a rational exchange of policy opinions with someone who believes outright lies, engages in extreme exaggerations, and, when you get right down to it, would rather prefer to see the nation of Israel removed from the face of the earth. On the other hand, trying to correct people who believe outright lies and engage in extreme exaggerations is generally a futile task.

If you don’t believe any of the oft-repeated extreme exaggerations and/or outright lies about Israel (such as that it is the “worse human rights violator in history,” or that the Israelis have denied the Palestinians statehood, or that Israel started the Six Day War, or that Israel has killed a disproportionate number of innocent civilians compared to other countries in similar situations), then you don’t really need to read this book, unless you want an inventory of factual and historical information to draw upon in the event that you find yourself in a conversation with someone who does believe such things. It is not a particularly interesting read; it is written in the dry manner of a textbook, but a well-organized and succinct textbook. Each chapter contains a clear statement of an accusation against Israel, quotes from one or two academics or journalists making the accusation, a brief paragraph negating the statement, and then a few pages detailing the evidence and/or arguments for that negation.

Dershowitz wrote this book, I think, not because he really believes it will erase the existence of lies and exaggerations, but simply because he is enraged that they exist and because he attributes their existence solely to the scourge of anti-Semitism. I think, however, that anti-Semitism is not a sufficient explanation for why so many westerners judge Israel so unfairly. While many who believe these things about Israel believe them because they are all too happy to think ill of the Jews, others have no specifically anti-Jewish prejudice. “A good working definition of anti-Semitism,” Dershowitz writes, “is taking a trait or an action that is widespread, if not universal, and blaming only the Jews for it.” That, I agree, is a fairly good working definition, but the typical Western liberal who critiques only Israel while failing to critique the Arab or Muslim world (who, for instance, demands universities divest themselves from Israel, but not from Arab nations) is not really blaming the Jews, specifically. He is, more often than not, blaming Western Civilization.

Those who critique Israel in this way and treat it as an oppressive power tend, for instance, to treat the United States and Great Britain the same way. And perhaps all this actually boils down to a different kind of prejudice. Why are Israelis, Americans, and Englishmen held to a very different moral standard by such people than are, say, Palestinians, Iranians, and North Koreans? Is it because they truly believe western civilization is worse, or is it because they believe, without stating it, perhaps without even admitting it to themselves, that people from non-westerner civilizations are barbarians from whom one simply cannot expect or ask civilized behavior? Or do such westerners disproportionately criticize western civilization out of some bizarre taste for self-flagellation? Or have they really been deluded enough to believe sincerely that the western civilization is uniquely responsible for evil? Who can say, but there are many possible motives besides merely anti-Semitism (though that is no doubt a primary motive for some). But for many westerners who decry Israel so indiscriminately, the primary prejudice is not anti-Semitism. It is anti-western-civilization. Some people have been taught to loathe their own civilization so much that some small part of them thinks that perhaps it deserves to be destroyed, though I doubt very much they would be happy to find that it was. But that topic would require another book. As for this book, it’s a fairly convincing argument that the Israelis, for all their flaws, have generally behaved in a more civilized manner than most any other nation, in the same situation, would have done.

I think Bob Dylan sums up the complaint of this book rather succinctly in his song “Neighborhood Bully”: “The neighborhood bully just lives to survive / He's criticized and condemned for being alive. / He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin, / He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.”
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Oct 06, 2007 Charles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dershowitz's writing is refreshingly clear, concise and like a logical scalpel. He is not an uncritical supporter, and I can't agree with some of his foundational assumptions, but his book is heartily recommended.

He cites verbatim the allegations of his opponents - on Israel's 'racism', its 'unlawful' attitude to Palestinians, its 'persistent occupation of conquered territory' - then addresses them with references, dates, places and names.

Bristling with facts often not encountered before - the...more

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Mar 01, 2009 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: jewish-history-israel, non-fiction

It is sad that a book has had to be written to defend Israel's right to exist, but sadly that's the world we live in now.
Dershowitz defends Israel, as one would in an international court, against 32 'charges' against it, and does so convincingly simply by conveying historial facts and figures. It was good to see that Dershowitz did not rely on pro-Israeli sourses to back up his arguments, rather he used neutral, and often pro-Palestinian sorces to ensure that his facts were not tainted by bias.

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Apr 10, 2012 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Constructive Q and A discussion format on the history, current status and argument for the support of Israel. Dershowitz gives a thorough detail on the history of the land and the implications on both cultures caused by this conflict that was already underway well before the antagonizing arrangements made by western nations at the close of WWII. Dershowitz comes off like a scolding old lady at times..."how would YOU like this...How would YOU like it if that" but the overall objective is there. H...more

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May 22, 2010 Vic Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the first book I've read about Israel--a subject I have been very interested in, but quite ignorant of, for a while. I love how Dershowitz lays out a detailed history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He offers a thorough analysis of all the claims against Israel, and then counters with his interpretations. An excellent read for anyone interested in the middle east conflict.

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Oct 15, 2012 Lindon Gareis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: world-affairs

This book brought to reality the world in which we live and the fact that Israel's existence is in the hands of God and the United States of America's continuing desire to uphold, support, and protect Jerusalem and the the sovereignty of the real country of Israel and the Jewish people. A must read for anyone who has a heart for the Jewish people...

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About Alan M. Dershowitz

Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is known for his career as an attorney in several high-profile law cases and commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

He has spent most of his career at Harvard, where, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor in its history, until No...more

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