Dershowitz headlining federation's Yom Haatzmaut program
By Lauren Matthew
April 11, 2008

As Israel celebrates her 60th birthday, noted law professor and Israel advocate Professor Alan Dershowitz will offer his views on the country, the Middle East, and the American Jewish community.

Dershowitz will speak at New Brunswick's Nicholas Music Center on May 8 in an event organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.

"I just got back from an extensive trip to the Middle East, and I taught a course there on balancing the war against terrorism and human rights, so I'll talk about that," Dershowitz told The Jewish State in an April 9 phone interview.

His trip included a visit to Sderot, and Dershowitz will discuss his experiences there. Sderot is a mile from the Gaza Strip, and has been under steady attack by Hamas and Qassam rockets.

Dershowitz said he will also talk about prospects for peace with Hamas in control of Gaza.

With Israel looking at 60, though, he noted that his expectations at this point for the country were higher.

"I was hoping that the world would be reaping more of the peace dividend," Dershowitz said.

"In 60 years, Israel has contributed more to the world than any country in history in a comparable period of time," he continued. The country has been responsible for great technological and medical advancements during that time, "and yet, it's hated by more countries than any country in history for so small a place."

Dershowitz has said in interviews, and even in his book, "The Case for Peace: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved," that it is possible for an accord to be reached in the Middle East, ending the ongoing conflict Israel faces just by virtue of existing. And, he told The Jewish State, he still believes this is the case.

"I think peace can be reached with the Palestinian authority in the West Bank," Dershowitz said.

But there is an addendum that goes with that statement: "I do not think peace can be reached with Hamas."

And that's if the West Bank becomes a thriving democracy, which, Dershowitz said, is his hope.

Dershowitz compared the situation in the Middle East with East and West Berlin, before the fall of the Berlin Wall: West Berlin was a "showplace of democracy," he said, while East Berlin was the perfect example of communist rule.

If the West Bank becomes "a showplace of economic and political freedom," Dershowitz said, reasoning with Palestinian leadership will no longer be such a battle.

Dershowitz said he also will talk about the threat that Israel faces from Iran, "which is not subject to negotiation, and will most certainly require a military solution, though all effort must be made to avoid it."

When asked what is the most important thing that Jews in the United States can do for Israel, Dershowitz's answer was immediate and only two words: become informed.

"To become better advocates, American Jews and Americans in general [must] become better informed," he said.

That imperative, he said, includes going to Israel to see everything firsthand.

"There is no excuse for any American Jew not going to Israel and making that trip, 10 hours nonstop," he said. "It's a great trip. It's a great time."

And, Dershowitz noted, it costs less to go to Israel than to spend a few weeks in New York City.

Dershowitz has been a professor at Harvard Law School since the age of 25, and has written several books on varying topics -- among them "The Case For Peace," mentioned above, and "The Case for Israel."

The May 8 event will begin at 8 p.m. Advance ticket purchase is required, and tickets can be bought at Trio Gifts, Highland Park; Lox, Stock and Deli, East Brunswick; Temple Neve Shalom, Metuchen; or the federation office. They can also be ordered via the federation's Web site,
http://jewishmiddlesex.org. Tickets are $60, for event sponsorship and preferred seating, or $10 for general admission.