On Israeli radio Dershowitz called Richard Goldstone an "evil evil man" and when the host said, "Do you hint, Professor, that he is a moser, someone who betrays his own people?," Dersh said Absolutely. A storm of criticism ensued, and now instead of a simple apology, Dersh claims in the Jerusalem Post that he misunderstood, and others are twisting his words to incite violence!
It’s bad enough that there are some religious extremists on both sides who actually incite their followers to commit violence. But when elements of the mainstream Israeli and Jewish media twist the truth in the interest of sensationalism to imply – or state outright – that I am calling for the murder of Richard Goldstone, it is those irresponsible members of the media (and of Americans For Peace Now) who become the inciters.
Bradley Burston: Israel Needs Goldstone link to haaretz.com
Dersh’s excuse, that he didn’t know the meaning of the word, rings loudly false.
So Dershowitz is upset that he has been accused of inciting violence against Goldstone, when he only meant to call him an “evil” man, a “monster,” but God forbid, not a “moser.” How’s this for irony? Dersh himself fabricated an accusation that Norman Finkelstein called for his assassination. In two 2006 articles published on frontpagemagazine (and elsewhere, no doubt), Dershowitz claimed this of Finkelstein: “Norman Finkelstein wrote a screed suggesting that I be targeted ‘for assassination’ because of my views on Israel” (link to 97.74.65.51); “Finkelstein puts forward in his article what he believes to be a justification for my assassination as a war criminal, based on my support for Israel.” (link to 97.74.65.51).
What did Finkelstein really say? In an article entitled “Should Alan Dershowitz Target Himself for Assassination?,” NF criticizes Dershowitz’s justifications for Israeli violence, including its policy of “targeted assassinations,” and concludes: “It is highly unlikely, however, that [Dershowitz] will ever be brought before a tribunal for his criminal incitement. But there is yet another possibility for achieving justice. Dershowitz is a strong advocate of targeted assassinations when ‘reasonable alternatives’ such as arrest and capture aren’t available. The conclusion seems clear — if , and only if, — one uses his standard and his reasoning. Of course, the preponderance of humanity, this writer included, does not think this way. After all the hard-won gains of civilization, who would want to live in a world that once again legally sanctioned torture, collective punishment, assassinations and mass murder? As Dershowitz descends into barbarism, it remains a hopeful sign that few seem inclined to join him.” link to counterpunch.org
Finkelstein explicitly stated that he does not share Dershowitz’s justification for assassination and that he believes most people do not share them either. What he accused Dershowitz of is hypocrisy, not some capital crime. Yet Dersh, who at the time was lobbying for denial of tenure for Finkelstein, publicly and repeatedly accused him of calling for the assassination of a fellow academic solely because of expression of support for Israel.
There is a distinction between the two cases. Dershowitz completely fabricated his accusation of Finkelstein’s incitement. On the other hand, even if Dersh really did not hear the question correctly, or did not understand the implications of the word “moser,” it was reasonable to assume that he did.
Interesting story, but if anyone ever bothered to write a full account of Dershowitz’s depraved dishonesty and hypocrisy, this would be a couple of paragraphs on page 232 of Volume III.
Ok, so Dershowitz only called Goldstone a “moser” in translation (“someone who betrays his own people”). As the Israeli officer protecting settlers who were attacking Palestinians and their supporters said: “There is only one capital offence in Israeli law: treason”. I think a Harvard law professor can understand that without any prior knowledge of an “obscure theological term” or “inside baseball”.
Dore Gold’s group, JCPA, has just come out with a report accusing another member of the Goldstone panel, Irishman Desmond Travers, of anti-semitic bias for his statement in that recent interview about the lobby’s influence in Britain. link to irishtimes.com
I have to think it’s fear of attacks like these, on anyone discussing the actual substance of the Goldstone Report, that have prevented discussion of the Goldstone Report in detail even as their has been copious discussion of Israel’s response.
This sort of response only confirms what Greenwald and others are saying about the depreciation of the “antisemitism” accusation. It’s time to start blowing raspberries.
Dershowitz is an inveterate and compulsive liar. His brief on the Goldstone report is one straw man after another. See the Magnes Zionist pick it apart here.
An Anti-Israel Extremist (Travers) Seeks Revenge Through Goldstone Report
link to huffingtonpost.com
Just in case anyone still harbored any delusions about Huffington.