The Daily Pennsylvanian :: Max Blumenthal | Torture, violence advocate to keynote anti-BDS event

As the first national Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions conference approaches at the University of Pennsylvania, several participants have faced false and sadly predictable smears. Ali Abunimah, a renowned Palestinian writer and solidarity activist who will deliver the conference’s keynote address, was recently accused by Emily Schrader, an activist with the pro-Israel group StandWithUs, of “incitement to violence against Israelis.” Wayne Firestone, the president of the pro-Israel student group Hillel, accused the Penn BDS conference of advocating “warfare” and fomenting “hatred.” The allegations leveled by Schrader and Firestone could not be further from the truth. Not one participant in the Penn BDS conference has “incited” violence against Israelis or anyone else. Instead, BDS advocates have raised their voices in support of an expressly non-violent movement that takes its inspiration from the American civil rights struggle against Jim Crow bigotry and the international campaign against South Africa’s apartheid regime.

To counter the Penn BDS event, local pro-Israel groups including Hillel and the Philadelphia Jewish Federation have summoned the famed trial lawyer and Harvard University professor of law Alan Dershowitz to campus to keynote a Feb. 2 event: “Why Israel Matters to You, Me, and Penn: A conversation with Alan Dershowitz.” Penn’s Political Science department – which has pointedly refused to co-sponsor the BDS conference — will co-host Dershowitz’s lecture, where the professor has vowed to explain why he considers BDS to be one of the most “immoral, illegal and despicable concepts around academia today.”

The support Dershowitz received from the university and from pro-Israel groups that claim to abhor violence is ironic in light of Dershowitz’s record. Indeed, Dershowitz is an open advocate of torture who has urged Israel to destroy entire Palestinian villages, attack civilians and bulldoze their homes. Despite Dershowitz’s professed concern for political dissidents living under autocratic regimes, he has called for personal retaliation against Israeli academics who speak out in favor of BDS. Meanwhile, Dershowitz routinely smears high-profile critics of Israel’s 45-year-long occupation as evil anti-Semites — and worse.

In March 2002, during the height of the Second Intifada, Dershowitz published an article in The Jerusalem Post proposing a “new response to Palestinian terrorism.” According to Dershowitz, even the ironfisted tactics of then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon were not harsh enough. He urged Israel to adopt an explicit policy of collective punishment — a practice banned by international law. Dershowitz advised Israeli forces to arrange for “the destruction of a small village which has been used as a base for terrorist operations. The residents would be given 24 hours to leave, and then troops will come in and bulldoze all of the buildings.”

No less disturbing is Dershowitz’s recommendation that the United States adopt an official policy allowing federal law enforcement officials to torture criminal suspects. As long as an FBI agent received a “torture warrant,” according to Dershowitz’s rules, he was free to do as he pleased to the body of anyone in his custody. Dershowitz even offered torturers proposals for inflicting maximum pain. Among the methods he advised was “the sterilized needle being shoved under the fingernails,” an idea the journalist and former US intelligence analyst James Bamford described as “chillingly Nazi-like.”

On other occasions, Dershowitz called the pre-1967 border in Israel, “Auschwitz borders,” accused students who politely questioned pro-Israel orthodoxy of supporting Hitler, and attempted to spin the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy by Sirhan Sirhan — a Christian Arab who moved to the U.S. at age 12 — as “the beginning of Islamic terrorism in the United States.” If members of Penn’s Political Science department believe Dershowitz’s penchant for extreme rhetoric will not be on full display when he appears on campus this week, they are deluding themselves.

Among the most troubling episodes in Dershowitz’s long record of assailing those he disagrees with was his assault on the character of Judge Richard Goldstone, an eminent South African jurist and practicing Jew who produced the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (the so-called “Goldstone Report”). During an interview on Israeli Army Radio in 2010, Dershowitz declared that Goldstone was an “evil man” ” and “absolutely” a moser, using a Hebrew term referring to those who snitch to gentiles about Jewish communal transgressions. As Dershowitz must have known, deploying such a term in Israel’s politically charged climate risked serious consequences: After Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination by the Jewish extremist Yigal Amir in 1995, Amir justified the murder by citing some rabbis’ designation of Rabin as a moser.

Though Dershowitz professes concern for the fate of political dissidents around the world, he used his speech at Tel Aviv University’s 2010 graduation ceremony to hector three faculty members — Rachel Giora, Anat Matar, and Shlomo Sand — who had issued support to the BDS movement. Suggesting without evidence that the three academics were “impos[ing] their ideology on students,” Dershowitz urged “patriotic” students and faculty members to “stand up to propagandizing professors … in appropriate forums outside of the classroom where different rules govern” — a troubling statement condemned by outraged Tel Aviv University faculty members as “bordering on incitement.”

At the time of Dershowitz’s speech, the Israeli Knesset was considering legislation to mete out financial penalties to Israeli citizens for speaking out in favor of BDS — an attack on free speech denounced by Amnesty International. Since then, that and many more anti-democratic proposals have become law. After a left-wing Israeli professor was wounded by a far-right extremist’s pipe bomb attack, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that “an ill wind of extremism” was settling in over the country. Rather than using his influence to defend Israel’s beleaguered democratic forces, Dershowitz demonized them in language that recalled the worst of McCarthy-era demagogy.

Those participating in the Penn BDS conference promote non-violence as the best means to guarantee full democracy, human rights and respect for international law in Israel-Palestine. The atmosphere of the conference will doubtlessly reflect these ideals. Unfortunately, local opponents of BDS have chosen to set a starkly different tone. With a stamp of approval from Penn’s Political Science department, Philadelphia’s pro-Israel community is uniting behind a promoter of maximalist violence, torture, and censorious smears. Before inviting Dershowitz, perhaps they should have consulted some ancient wisdom. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,” the Book of Proverbs reads, “but he who walks with fools will harm himself.”

Max Blumenthal, a 1999 College graduate, is a writing fellow for the Nation Institute and author of The New York Times bestseller, “Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered The Party”. His email is maxblumenthal3000@yahoo.com. He will be speaking at this weekend’s Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions conference.

Comments (48)

hi max, this is reality. how could you have been in mask and wig as a penn undergrad and prioritize your life in this way? don’t you realize israel is the only country in the region where wig could even consider going on tour? I’m not saying to invite Rabbis, unless it’s alum Josh Stein (was he your class?) or Rabbi Lynn or Feuer, but cross-dressing men would be more accepted in Israel than its friendly neighbors (none of which you mention in your long-ass rant).

“from here to reality”:

What does that have to do with Alan Dershowitz?

It wasn’t related to Dershowitz. Sometimes a memory helps re-tether people who have strayed from reality… But essentially the author argues Dershowitz is pro-violence, and therefore the author is anti-Dershowitz, as BDS is anti-Violence, si?

But how is giving a village 24 hours notice to evacuate during war “maximalist violence?” No other country does this during war. How about suicide bombing children eating pizza with ball bearings and nails as indiscriminate violence? I hope Penn BDS speaks out against this type of violence as well. Haven’t seen a whole lot of that… If I saw them talking about reducing violent suicide bombings, that would be something.

Regarding Prof. Dershowitz and his view on torture, here is a link to a free academic article he wrote in NYU’s law journal where he clearly shows how what Max writes is off (refuted in this 2003 article… see pg 277) https://www.nyls.edu/user_files/1/3/4/30/53/55/56/v48n1-2p275-294.pdf

Max chastises Dershowitz for how he uses his influence: think long and hard about how you use your own while you still have it. What’s your personal crisis that you hate your heritage so much? I see you are anti-Penn PoliSci Department, Anti-Hillel, and Pro-BDS, but why do you hate Israel and Jews? Nothing about what you said reveals how Penn PoliSci or Hillel are bad for Israel/Jews, only for PennBDS. And how is BDS good for America? Seems you are a BDS firster

Do you honestly not see how advocating the razing of an entire village is “maximalist violence”? I’ll make it easy for you: (a) this isn’t a “war”, it’s an occupation, and (b) there is absolutely no military objective to the razing, other than to inflict so much collective damage on an entire community – men, women, children, entire families who may have nothing to do with “terrorism” – that the community ceases to exist. (b) is a crime in international law, called “collective punishment”. Consider whether you’d be in favour of razing a suburb of Chicago because the Unabomber comes from there, or perhaps the entirety of Harlem because the police force contends that many criminals come from there. If not, you might want to reconsider your views.

Regarding the article that clarifies Dershowitz’s views, it makes for interesting reading since it shows him to be in favour of legitimating torture on the basis of “it happens already”. Can you point to a single sentence that Max wrote about Dershowitz’s torturous tendencies that is “off”? I cannot find one.

I have no idea why you conflate “hate” with BDS. It seems obvious that all the “hate” is coming from people who are anti-BDS. BDS works non-violently, at a grassroots level, and advocates equality for Palestinians and Israelis. Can you point to a single sentence that Max has written above which even implies that he “hate[s] Israel and Jews”? Once again, I cannot find one. But I find many anti-BDS commentators who seem to assume, without even hearing the argument of BDS, that there is “hate” involved.

What Max fails to mention is that the BDS movement supports the destruction of the Jewish state. This is a goal he seems to share by speaking at this weekend’s hatefest. No amount of misdirection can change that.

Elder, the BDS movement neither supports nor advocates the “destruction of the Jewish state”. It does support the right of Palestinians to return to the places from which they were expelled (cf. UN General Assembly Resolution 194), and this may significantly affect the demographics and politics of Israel if it comes to pass. A comparable example is South Africa after 1994, where the country continued to exist (with many of the same institutions), but the political and economic spheres were greatly affected.

For those offering “Pro-Israel” arguments [note the scare-quotes] in the comments :
Please re-read this, and really think about what it means, if only for your own good :
“ ‘Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,’ the Book of Proverbs reads, ‘but he who walks with fools will harm himself.’ ”
…
In all sincerity : Please do not become reflexive defenders of state power. There is a reason why otherwise intelligent people, like Professor Gur, offer up breathless, irrational and rambling statements against BDS, and that is because there really are not many arguments to make, so fear-mongering and smears become the modi operandi. There is one rational argument to be made against BDS : that it could backfire and cause the right wing to circle the wagons and lash out (which we’re seeing) thereby causing more harm than good. But please, review your arguments, as their utter irrationality and incoherence aren’t doing you much service. Briefly, the weakness of your positions stems partly from the impossibility of honestly defending your cause.
…
There is one sense in which those who are prophesying the “destruction of the Jewish state” are correct, and we should take their argument seriously – that is, ending the particular form of Zionism which currently under-girds Israeli state policy ( grabbing up land and water resources, gradual policy of ethnic cleansing, quasi-apartheid legal structure) actually WOULD end the Jewish state AS THEY CONCEIVE OF IT, and therefore there is some truth to what they say. Anytime “conservatives” bemoan the granting of certain rights to oppressed communities (Jim Crow), or fear the influx of “non-European” communities into their territory (“Urabia”, etc.) they actually ARE witnessing the destruction of a certain narrow conception of their communities and worldview. Don’t underestimate this argument.

BDS indeed considers the idea of a Jewish state to be racist and, as Roberta sort of admits, it wants to end it demographically by flooding Israel with Arabs who are hostile to its existence.

Yet every single one of Israel’s neighbors consider themselves “Arab states” and most of them “Muslim states” in their constitutions. This includes the constitution of “Palestine.” BDS has no problem with those ideas – ideas that include laws that discriminate against non-Arabs. They only ahbor the idea of a Jewish state.

Sorry, but denying the Jewish right to self-determination is what BDS is about. Everything else is a fig-leaf.

And I could write a book about why you are wrong in your interpretation of UNGA 194.

Roberta:

The fact that all of you pro-BDS advocates are able to do is throw insults and lies at anyone who disagrees with you is telling in and of itself.

Let me respond with an entirely fact based post. BDS has been about denying the Jewish people their rights ever since it was first formed.

Omar Barghouti, the ring leader of your group, has always made it clear that he considers Tel Aviv and Haifa to be just as much “occupied Palestinian territory” as Bethlehem and Nablus.

Barghouti explains that his movement cannot ally with Israeli peace groups, because even “the most radical Israeli ‘Zionist-left’ figures and groups are still Zionist, adhering to the racist principles of Zionism” that “maintain Israel’s character as a colonial, ethnocentric, apartheid state,” which BDS seeks to dismantle. No Israelis are welcome, unless they are ones that don’t want Israel to exist.

This honesty can be found only in the upper echelons of BDS, but once it’s there it is obvious. Here are some more quotes for your reading pleasure:

Ahmed Moor: “Ending the occupation doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t mean upending hte Jewish state itself…BDS does mean the end of the Jewish state.”

Ronnie Kasrils: “BDS represents three words that will help bring about the defeat of Zionist Israel and victory for Palestine.”

Omar Barghouti: “Going back to the two-state solution, besides having passed its expiry date, it was never a moral solution to start with.”

BDS means Death to Israel. You either don’t know that, or you are lying to me. If it’s the latter, don’t waste your time because I’m not going to be tricked. If it’s the former, educate yourself.

I supported BDS for South Africa, try to BDS China (I know), I won’t buy chocolate made from child labor, no more Nutella. I purchased a PC instead of a new Mac because HP had a better rating for conflict minerals from DR Congo. I stopped buying Sabra hummus, I oppose zionism as I oppose other religious, ethnic segregating concepts. I was devastated when my niece went on “birthright” because I know humanity only has one homeland. I know of Israel’s crimes on palestinians, oppressive occupation, illegal settlements, illegal siege on Gaza. I know of Israel’s human rights abuses and their human rights protection, corporal punishment is banned in Israel, they need to ban genital mutilation (I know).
However, Max is in fraud nonviolence group “Existence is Resistance”, knowing they defend and promote international terrorism. EIR sells t-shirts of international terrorist Leila Khaled of “Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine”. These t-shirts of icon Khaled holding AK47, wearing ring made from bullet and grenade ping, state “resistance is not terrorism”. PFLP pioneered terrorist hijackings, they are the prime suspects of Pan Am 103 Lockerbie bombing, their Sept 1970 hijacking of four planes destined for the US inspired 9/11. These t-shirts were worn and sold at the Students for Justice in Palestine national conference held at Columbia University in October, 2011. EIR members meet with Leila Khaled, call her their hero. Max calls EIR, group selling international terrorism “warriors for justice”.

Ali Abunimah gives PFLP space in his “Electronic Intifada” to promote their human rights violating international terrorism. Remi Kanazi is in EIR, Norman Finklestein is close friends with their organizers, so is Max. Do they know or care EIR is promoting international terrorism, not resistance, not nonviolence? Max knows, only he does not care.

I once supported EIR believing they were committed to nonviolence. I opposed their use of Leila Khaled’s image, they called me a “racist undercover zionist”, one of their members wants to meet me so she can spit in my face, other member wants to “smack the stupid” out of me.

I had nominated Max for Jewish Community Hero for his work on domestic issues. I have come to see he is not objective, not credible on Israel. He went on “birthright: when he was 25, he was a history major at Penn, he knew of the crimes Israel was committing, he waited until cast lead to cover it. His family donates to Israel Emergency Fund, he has too much conflict to see clearly. I’m not defending Dershowitz, he’s wrong on Israel. I’m seeing many americans of who happen to be jewish caught up in something destructive for everyone.

I can’t know how to solve the conflict for others. I can only see we must be honest with ourselves and each other on how we are helping or harming. I see Dershowitz and Blumenthal making things worse.

Israel is a country that was built on ethnic cleansing, land robbing, house demolishing and olive tree bulldozing, not to mention over 45 years of the most notable military occupation in modern history, eliciting 224 UN Security Council and 89 UN General Assembly resolutions. You can say what you want, the BDS pales hugely in comparison. It’s 100% none violent and more importantly, aims to educate people with hard hitting facts about the occupation that Palestinian civilians, and I quote, “civilians” have had to endure in the face the most aggressive military apparatus that exists today, then leave it up to them to decide what do with their dollars. I think this is a pretty democratic way to go about it and in fact of the highest moral order.

@Elder, please read the explanatory BDS article published by the Daily Pennsylvanian on January 26th. It answers all of your questions, and points out the framework of human rights that BDS operates within, as well as addressing several myths about the BDS movement.

@Anonymous, please stop copy/pasting the same screed at the end of every BDS-related article. Such behaviour is an indication that you merely want to shout your message at people, rather than actually engage with the issues, and for this reason I am not going to reply directly to it. Furthermore, I fail to see where I have “insulted” or “lied” to you or anyone else in my post. Perhaps you could give me a hint about what was so terribly offensive about what I wrote?

Roberta: I didn’t feel like writing out the very informative quotes by your leadership again. And excuse me, Rob was insulting you were lying or mistaken.

@Roberta
Who in the BDS movement defends, condones, promotes international terrorism? We know Max Blumenthal, Remi Kanazi, Ali Abunimah are in group that does. BDS supporters who are honestly committed to nonviolence are smeared, harassed, marginalized, silenced for confronting those who defend, condone, promote palestinian international terrorism. I consider selling t-shirts of palestinian international terrorist Leila Khaled holding an AK47 incitement for international terrorism. How do you feel about these t-shirts? If someone wore a Meir Kahane t-shirt we could conclude they promote terrorism, but if a group Max calls “warriors for justice” sells t-shirts of terrorist Leila Khaled dishonestly stating “resistance is not terrorism” were must to keep silent?

Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-0QEW6tOpA Max Blumenthal dishonestly tells Israel supporters only their side defends a terrorist, Meir Kahane. In fact, Max faisl to mention his side defends terrorist Leila Khaled, the person holding the camera purchased her terrorist Leila Khaled t-shirt at SJP conference. Max participated in an SJP conference where terrorist Leila Khaled t-shirts were worn and sold.

Who in the BDS movement defends Leila Khaled of international terrorist organization PFLP?

@Alrumi
Clearly BDS is a form of nonviolence, but many in the movement defend, condone, promote violence while we BDS. Don’t expect me to BDS while many condone, promote harming innocent defenseless people. BDS all violence, Israeli and Palestinian. No, palestinian terrorism is not resistance, nor is Israeli terrorism defense. I want the US to cut aid to Israel, we need our money here, but you lie on how palestinians and their supporters in BDS are 100% nonviolence.

Max complaining about “smears” = kettle calling the pot black. He is well know for his covert slander, using his critics’ irrelevant personal painful matters to scare them into silence, he has no conscience.

I totally agree with the critique about the danger of torture advocates who’ve argued for “torture warrants” and that torture is generally effective. Really? According to whom? Often it’s…according to torture advocates! That is, the guys on the outside (like Dershowitz) are often citing the supposed success of self-serving (or self-preserving) government advocates of torture – and they just form their own circular argument.

In the end, what’t the real impact of their arguments? Policy that makes torture totally permissible, and incalculable costs on detainees AND our troops. If anyone doubts the gravity of this damage you absolutely, positively MUST read the (amazing) books, “None of Us Were Like This Before.” No only does torture damage people, but it ultimately exacts a ruinous cost on our intel and military policy. People like Dershowitz should be deeply ashamed, and should loose their place to offer dangerous opinions.

Mr. Blumenthal Takes Dr. Dershowitz’s ideas out of context and misunderstands them. In Dershowitz’s book Why Terrorism Works P. 140, he clearly states:” I clearly condemned these methods [ stress positions, load music not even torture per se ] as a violation of core civil liberties and human rights.” But he said people argued against him by saying “what about “ the ticking bomb “case? “(p. 140 ibid). The idea of the “torture warrant” is to take the use of any physically coercive technique even in the most dire situation of immediate terrorist threats and danger out of a legal gray area. The judiciary would have to take responsibility not law enforcement, and have to decide such a policy in advance. This would reduce not increase physical coercion. Dershowitz is using a very detailed nuanced argument against torture. Also in the same book he does not advocate the use of needles under the finger nails he merely says as part of a long argument that it is non-lethal compared to the homocidal crimes any such use would prevent, bot then goes on to denounce it not advocate for it as Mr. Blumenthal falsely claims.

Karl,
I appreciate what you’ve written, but I have to take issue with it. I’ve actually read Dershowitz’s book, and his argument is garbage on a number of levels. He doesn’t understand a thing about torture or interrogation. Torture warrants have been employed elsewhere and failed spectacularly for a number of reasons, detailed extensively in books like Darius Rejali’s “Torture and Democracy.” Moreover, he presumes that simply applying moderate pain will produce quick, accurate actionable intelligence. But that’s utter nonsense for a number of reasons – such as how people respond to pain, how impossibly difficult it is to calibrate pain to get someone to to talk – and to ensure what they say is accurate (highly problematic for myriad reasons). Dershowitz just is out of his depth in this area – and intelligence officers and seasoned interrogators know this, and are actually very angry at him for deploying these rhetorical bombs and sowing dangerously misguided beliefs about the supposed effectiveness of torture. As for the “ticking bomb” case you referenced. Do you know where it actually comes from? I suggest you read “None of Us Were Like This Before” to find the answer. It actually shocked me, and forced me to reconsider many of my positions about torture. By the way, I once bought into the same argument that you’ve made. But after doing some serious reading, I’ve totally changed my view.
Thanks again for your comment – even if I respectfully disagree with them.

@ human
I do not condone any form of violence against any people. But I also consider land confiscation from indigenous people (aka Palestinians) to make room for ‘garbage’ created by European settlers on occupied Palestinian land an extreme form of violence. It is violence against human rights, human spirit, human dignity and human worth. And to deny it is a violence against human conscience. I did not exonerate the ‘supporters’ of BDS from any violence. I said, the BDS movement, in principle and in strategy, is a completely none violent movement. BDS does not require any physical action that might bring any physical harm to anyone. BDS aims to inspire and ignite the conscience of the world to none violent means that, over the long run, will alleviate the suffering of unarmed Palestinian men, women and their children who’s dreams have been washed down the drain to make space the ‘other’.

Alrumi,
Many in the movement do not commit to nonviolence as you and I do. I know Israel commits terrorism, steals land, oppresses and murders innocent people. I support BDS for Israel, for China, as I did for South Africa, maybe people should BDS the US. I can’t continue supporting an international movement that embraces defenders, promoters of international terrorism. As long there are speakers, organizers who condone, defend, promote international terrorism I must oppose it. Get the fraud nonviolence fools out, keep the honest nonviolence folks in. You can’t get me to continue BDSing while you embrace fools defending, promoting international terrorism, who can murder me. Got It? BDS fails if it is committed to nonviolence only in words, each speaker and organizer must committed to nonviolence, and must openly condemn violence.
Is terrorist Leila Khaled t-shirt tolerated in PennBDS, why or why not? http://www.existenceisresistance.bigcartel.com/product/new-resistance-is-not-terrorism-leila-khalid

Wow, Max Blumenthal, who writes for the Hizballah-affiliated newspaper in Beirut, is complaining that Alan Dershowitz is pro-torture? This is rich coming from him. This is the same Max Blumenthal who falsely reported on his blog that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the September 11th attacks were “very good.” http://blog.camera.org/archives/2011/09/where_max_blumenthal_and_camer.html

The PennBDS movement seeks to find ways to destroy all of Israel – the 1948 borders of Israel. It also boycotts the one Jewish state on earth which is a flowering democracy. Somehow PennBDS is silent about North Korea/Iran/Saudi Arabia/Sudan/China/etc. To seek to boycott the one Jewish state on earth reeks of antisemitism.

And this liar and writer for a terrorist newspaper is a speaker at such a “conference”. This should tell you what you need to know about PennBDS.

Mr. Blumenthal, if you are so worried about violence, I would stop writing for a Hizballah newspaper.

@human

The point you make is a pragmatic one and I do understand it, but it does not delegitimize the BDS movement.

@ Red Tulip

Here we go again with the tired, automated “anti-semitism” accusation that seems to roll out of Israel’s blind supporters without them even thinking about what they’re saying anymore. How does this work? If you cannot defend it or explain it rationally then it must be anti-semitism? Don’t you get tired of repeating it?

A flowering democracy? Israel? What about the recent law that the Israel court upheld denying Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens the right to reside inside Israel and putting them under threat of deportation, thus threatening the break up of thousands of Israeli/Palestinian families? How’s that for a flowering democracy? http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-palestinian-couples-on-citizenship-law-supreme-court-guided-by-israeli-racism-1.406886

I’ve located in Dershowitz’s book Why Terrorism Works the reference to needles under fingernails. It’s on pg. 144: “An FBI agent proposes the use of nonlethal torture-say, a sterilized needle inserted under the fingernails to produce unbearable pain without any threat to health or life [to the suspect]…” Dershowitz himself does NOT recommend this; it is in the context of a hypothetical “ticking bomb” case. A page later Dershowitz writes against any such use of torture writing it would “constitute an important symbolic setback in the worldwide campaign against human rights abuses.”(ibid p. 145 ). To Reveres, my point is not to debate the use of torture per se, but to prove Blumenthal grossly distorts what Dershowitz wrote. Since Blumenthal clearly does so, his essay is fundamentally dishonest and invalid.

Alrumi: Deciding to target the ONE Jewish state on earth for boycott and divestment, and holding it to an unfair double standard is itself a form of antisemitism.

Moreover, Max Blumenthal is a known liar and propagandist. He claims that Dershowitz supports torture: FALSE. He did not and never did support torture. He only claimed that he believed torture would happen, so he actually wanted to LIMIT the chance it would happen by bringing in accountability. Moreover, if Mr. Blumenthal was so worried about torture, he would not write for a Hizballah newspaper, which he does.

Mr. Blumenthal claims Alan Dershowitz supports the demolition of Palestinian homes. FALSE. Dershowitz never did such a thing, and in fact has repeatedly called for a “two state solution,” though only when it would be a solution – i.e., an end of conflict, and not simply a “hudna.”

Alrumi, you can believe the lies, but the reality is that Max Blumenthal is bought and paid for by a terrorist group – Hizballah – and then lectures in this newspaper about peace.

As far as the claim about Palestinian spouses: every country on earth has the right to decide who may have entry into the state. And what the article does not tell you is that all a Palestinian spouse has to do is swear alliegance to Israel in exchange for being allowed to live in Israel. Arab Israelis view it as a “debasement” if they have to swear allegiance to the State of Israel. Boo freaking hoo. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8073269/Benjamin-Netanyahu-makes-change-to-controversial-citizenship-law.html

Meanwhile, the so-called “moderate” Mahmoud Abbas has already stated that a state of Palestine would be Judenrein – Jew free. No Jew is allowed to even step foot in Saudi Arabia, and no Jew can own land in Jordan, a country that is supposedly at peace with Israel.

Critics of Israel love to give one standard for Israel and another standard for themselves. It’s the height of hypocrisy.

I repeat myself: Israel is the only Jewish state in the world, and a flowering democracy. Those who seek to boycott Israel and no other country on earth are indeed racist antisemites in their double standards.