Posted on 09/09/2009 5:35:09 AM PDT by SJackson
Harvard Law School Professor Alan M. Dershowitz sought to explain why the Jewish-American community should not doubt President Barack Obama’s support for Israel in a debate with his former student that evolved into a discussion of both policy and politics at Harvard Hillel last night.
Before an audience of over 100 people—many of them members of the Hillel community—Dershowitz reaffirmed his support for Obama despite mixed rhetoric from the White House on America’s approach to Israel-Palestine relations and the subsequent backlash from the American Jewish community, which voted overwhelmingly for the then-Illinois senator.
Taking a more critical stance, Joel B. Pollak ’99, who graduated from the Law School in 2009 and is running for Congress in the 9th district of Illinois, called upon the Jewish community to “hold the Obama administration and Congress accountable” for recent Middle East policy including a much-publicized speech in Cairo, a delayed show of support for protestors after the presidential elections in Iran, and sustained pressure on Israel to halt settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Pollak gained brief media attention last spring when he took Mass. Representative Barney Frank to task during a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School.
“It is a true test of our ability as citizens to engage in democracy,” Pollak said. “Many Jewish-Americans voted for Obama, and now they suspect they were victims of a bait and switch.”
Dershowitz, a vocal defender of Israel and a long-time supporter of a sovereign Palestinian state, responded that he would continue to support the president on policy stances he agreed with, and would otherwise prefer to work constructively within the Democratic Party. But Dershowitz has also spoken out vigorously against Democratic officials in the past, notably attacking former President Jimmy Carter’s portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Obama’s willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran and other Middle Eastern countries has been a positive aspect of the administration, Dershowitz said, and his credibility with liberals and young people makes him a stronger advocate for Israel as well.
“I think it’s much better for Israel to have a supporter in the White House like Obama, a critical supporter, than to have yet another old white conservative man who’s Republican,” he said. “That’s expected.”
Several students in the audience said they enjoyed the event, organized by Harvard Students for Israel, although it remained a discussion between two supporters of Israel rather than the debate as advertised.
“It was very honest, and didn’t seem like anyone had an agenda beyond bringing the facts forward,” said Arun A. Viswanath ’13, who studied in the West Bank before coming to Harvard. “Both have the same interest in mind.”
Ari R. Hoffman ’11 said he appreciated the passionate but cordial dialogue that stayed focused on the substantive issues of American policy in the Middle East.
“It was good to see such opposite ends of the political spectrum unite around the love of Israel,” he said.
—Staff writer Athena Y. Jiang can be reached at ajiang@fas.harvard.edu.
Dershowitz might find out how little he knows.
Dersh is yet another self-loathing American Jew in the service and obedience of the modern Democrat Party.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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I guess you just can't get away from race. Still, when Alan says
I think it’s much better for Israel to have a supporter in the White House like Obama, a critical supporter, than to have yet another old white conservative man who’s Republican, That’s expected.
he appears to be stereotyping blacks as inherently anti-Israel. That may well be true, I'm sure Alan is aware of the demographics of antisemitism, but still an odd statement.
Doesn’t he mean better for Palis?
What a dough head.
Excellent example of "newspeak" (or, more precisely, "doubletalk").
According to Dershowitz, I am an Obama supporter.
(In fact, under the Dershowitz construction of "supporter", so is Sarah Palin).
Of course, I happen to be a "critical supporter" of Obama, but evidently that still qualifies me to be called an Obama supporter.
So, "FUBO"
he said, in his most critically-supportive tone of voice...
Gads, Harvard actually used to be a respected college.
Still is in the sciences, but boy, the lib arts portion is right down there in the septic tank.
Dershowitz is as radically liberal as the rest of them. Nothing in this country will get done until we take on the liberal lawyers.
Obama, regarding Palestininians: “we”
Obama, regarding Israelis: “they”
Obama tolerates leftist Jews because they’re leftists. He enjoys the specter of a people participating in their unwitting destruction, as did several, notable figures of the twentieth century.
Its easy to see why Hitler encountered no substantive opposition to the murder of millions of Jews. Yet the Jews make a victim industry out of a mess they created mostly by themselves. The Holocaust is sad but not for the pop-culture reasons. Its about a people who refused to lift a hand in their own defense and actively enabled their executioner by rationalizing evil. I guess in that regard modern America is much like the Jews of WWI and today.
Interesting how far Dershowitz will go to sacrifice the best interests of Israel to salve his lust for collectivism. Talk about guilt? How guilty will he feel about having played this game after Israel is held helpless in the merciless grip of its tormentors?
I think anyone who vigorously defends obama and his administration on anything will come out a loser in the end. It’s just a matter of time.
How pathetic.
Congressman Billybob
Latest article, "Birth of a New Party"
"Ben Franklin will be in D.C., speaking and dressed this way."
Dershowitz would have been a defense attorney at Nuremburg.
“I think it’s much better for Israel to have a supporter in the White House like Obama, a critical supporter, than to have yet another old white conservative man who’s Republican,” he said. “That’s expected.”
no because it means his leftist base will push him to go further and further against israel. He gave an award to Mary Robinson, not Shimon Peres.
Dershowitz has spent so much time exercising intellectually dishonest pretzel logic that he has become completely delusional. Time to increase his dosage.
Read up on the brave and noble Jewish partisans before making such a remark.
Yes, Im very familiar w/ them, tiny (numerically insignificant) in number relative to the millions of others that allowed themselves to be slaughtered. The fighters were brave...good on them. What I’m talking about is the millions who chose the path of self destruction. My comments stand....
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