John Wiley & Sons 2003 /264 pp. / $11.89

Reviewed by Rabbi Michael Weygant

"The Case For Israel" is authored by well-known Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz in a simple and straightforward style that is readable to those uninitiated in the fine points of international law. The author clearly states his own support for the so-called ‘two state" solution and is described in the liner notes as "a distinguished defender of individual rights".

From the opening pages of this book, the reader senses that this book is different than most. Dershowitz attempts to be even-handed in his approach, or as he states it, ‘..try to present a realistic picture of Israel. warts and all...". What I found most alluring about this book was the well-researched notes and statements within it. The author uses a simple format to present his studied ideas on thirty-two topics that directly impact the individual’s conclusion on the current hostilities in the Middle East, which seem to center on the singular Jewish state of Israel in the sea of hostile Arab states. Such questions as: Is Israel a Racist State? and Does Israel Torture the Palestinians? are dealt with in a four step manner within the book. First, the Author presents the accusation, then names the accusers, followed by what Dershowitz terms the reality which dovetails into, what Dershowitz entitles, the proof. Skillfully, Dershowitz uses the actual words of the accusers to not only name the accusers but also to show the prejudiced and uninformed nature of their position. This simple format is very effective and allows for the use of this book as a source book for those of us who are tiring of the jaundiced approach towards the Middle East conflict that permeates much of the North American mainstream media news presentations.

The greatest detraction to this book besides arguably the two state solution strongly advocated, is the lack of Biblical argument. For example, when discussing the 1929 Hebron massacre of Orthodox Jews by Arabs he states, "The Hebron massacre was the culmination of a series of religiously inspired massacres deliberately incited by the grand mufti" . (page 42) It would have been very useful to reconsider the statements of Torah concerning Hebron and the great patriarch Abraham or the Writings concerning King David and his time in Hebron. The conclusion would be clear; namely that the Jewish settlers of today are living in an area that has been part of our homeland since the days of Abraham. Jews living in Hebron and its environs are visual reminders of Biblical history and should not be seen as out of place.

I highly recommend this book for a number of reasons. It is interesting reading even as it is informative. The book lends itself to helping each of us as we discuss the current situation in the Middle East. The nation of Israel is shown to be a truly democratic nation -not perfect- but also not the pariah that the United Nations and the world community often paints it to be. Lastly, this book represents another formidable response to the growing wave of anti-Israel and oftentimes anti-Semitic voices prowling the media stage of the world. Sad yet noteworthy, the book refers to Mahmoud Abbas as the Prime Minister of the Palestinians. His departure from authority and the continuing meshugas that is termed ‘Palestinian democracy’ highlights a very key point of Dershowitz’ argument: Israel remains the only democracy in the whole Middle East arena and should be appreciated for being such despite the continuing waging of warfare against it.