Author Archives: David Samel

About David Samel

Attorney in New York City

Dershowitz should stop lying about Tutu’s record

Posted on May 14, 2013 by David Samel

“Archbishop Desmond Tutu is one of the most evil men in the world. He never condemns China, rarely Zimbabwe or any other county, it’s only Israel,” says Alan Dershowitz. Then why did Tutu call for the world to boycott the Olympics in China in 2008? The record shows clearly that Tutu has criticized Zimbabwe and China repeatedly

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 56 Comments

‘What about Iran and China?’ attack on BDS draws boos from the commenting crowd

Posted on May 10, 2013 by David Samel

I was alerted by Glenn Greenwald’s column yesterday to this extraordinary short piece at Left Foot Forward entitled “So why did Stephen Hawking think it was ok to visit Iran and China?” The author’s accusation of hypocrisy that we have heard so often is nothing new, but the sophistication of the numerous commenters who destroy the “What about X?” argument is very encouraging.

Posted in Activism, BDS, Israel/Palestine | 14 Comments

The three whoppers of Alan Dershowitz

Posted on May 7, 2013 by David Samel
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This Thursday, Peter Beinart and Alan Dershowitz will once again square off on the subject of Zionism at CUNY, a debate that promises to cover a spectrum of opinion from A to B. It is unclear exactly what new ground they will cover, having debated at least twice before, but one thing that is for certain is that Dershowitz will use the occasion to unveil newer and better lies. There is no shortage of exposés of his breathtaking dishonesty, and Dershowitz keeps the lies coming fast and furious, so someone has to keep up with the Great Fabricator. Here are three major whoppers from last year’s Martha’s Vineyard debate with Beinart.

Posted in American Jewish Community, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | Tagged | 56 Comments

Dershowitz unveils new hasbara claim: IDF has lowest rape rate

Posted on March 4, 2013 by David Samel

In attacking a conference on homonationalism and pinkwashing which makes the mistake of including Israel among 32 countries under scrutiny, Alan Dershowitz unrolls dubious claims regarding Israeli soldiers and rape

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 39 Comments

The 99%: Netanyahu successful as Americans agree on Iranian ‘nuclear threat’

Posted on February 22, 2013 by David Samel

A few months ago, Netanyahu’s presentation to the United Nations of a fourth-grader’s drawing dramatizing Iran’s imminent nuclear weapons capability drew gales of laughter. But maybe it was successful after all.

Posted in Iran, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Media, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | 26 Comments

Pentagon issues new combat-related medal for drone operators

Posted on February 14, 2013 by David Samel

It’s award season, with the recent Golden Globes and Grammy telecasts and lots of buzz about the upcoming Oscars, so it’s no wonder that the Pentagon didn’t want to be left out of the fun. That’s why they’ve come up with a new medal to award for “extraordinary achievement” in the field of drone warfare.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | 9 Comments

‘NYT’ runs op-ed by Israel lobbyist in human rights garb, saying Palestinians are too corrupt to deserve a state

Posted on February 14, 2013 by David Samel

Robert Bernstein, apostate from Human Rights Watch, started Advancing Human Rights, an Israel lobby organization, and it now has an op-ed in the NYT

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 19 Comments

Dershowitz’s hypocrisy and dishonesty over Brooklyn College BDS conference

Posted on February 10, 2013 by David Samel

People often comment that Dershowitz is a clown who does not deserve the time and effort to discredit him. I could not disagree more. He remains a highly influential public figure on matters pertaining to Israel and Palestine, commanding an audience at the White House and filling lecture halls regularly. Give the devil his due. He has great rhetorical skills, thinks quickly on his feet, and in my opinion can on occasion out-debate far worthier opponents. He remains a rock star of pro-Israel advocacy. His brazen hypocrisy and serial dishonesty should be challenged regularly.

Posted in American Jewish Community, Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, Media, US Politics | 34 Comments

Bin Laden execution has claimed more innocent victims

Posted on December 20, 2012 by David Samel

The US used a bogus vaccination program in Pakistan as a cover for seeking DNA samples that might lead to bin Laden. So no wonder 9 UN vaccination workers were killed in Pakistan this week

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East, War on Terror | 19 Comments

The Peleds and Abulhawa appear in NY

Posted on October 10, 2012 by David Samel

Is the Nazi analogy appropriate for Israeli conduct? Certainly the apartheid one is. And Vietnam helps too…

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged | 19 Comments

The clarity of Dani Dayan: Settler leader exposes the ethnic privilege underlying Israeli society

Posted on July 26, 2012 by David Samel

Dani Dayan should be taken seriously in his plea for continuation of the status quo in Israel/Palestine.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Settlers/Colonists | 7 Comments

NY Times ‘confirms’ Hezbollah/Iran connection to Bulgaria attack by quoting unnamed American ‘officials’

Posted on July 21, 2012 by David Samel

The NYT shills for Netanyahu’s claim that Hezbollah perpetrated the Bulgarian terrorist attack

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 34 Comments

Ali Abunimah KO’s Jonathan Tobin in ‘Democracy Now’ debate

Posted on July 11, 2012 by David Samel

This morning, there was a segment on Democracy Now about the recent recommendation of an Israeli government commission that Israel’s West Bank settlements be deemed legal, deemed an “authoritative document” by Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Media, Occupation | 41 Comments

Government hypocrisy competition

Posted on April 6, 2012 by David Samel

Righteous allies! US officials blame Koran-burning protests in Afghanistan on Iranian agents. And Ehud Barak says that Israel won’t tolerate illegal facts on the ground in the West Bank. OMG!

Posted in Iran, Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | 11 Comments

The liberal Zionist predicament

Posted on April 4, 2012 by David Samel

In an ironic and even perverse twist, Meir Kahane, the diehard unapologetic racist criminal, knew what most liberal Zionists are refusing to recognize — “Jewish and democratic state” is an oxymoron.

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged | 82 Comments

Bradley Burston dips his toes in one-state water

Posted on March 29, 2012 by David Samel

In his latest Haaretz column, Bradley Burston dares to go where he has never gone before, taking the first tentative steps toward consideration of the one-state solution.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Media, One state/Two states | 21 Comments

Finkelstein’s prescription for a two-state solution is not realistic

Posted on March 1, 2012 by David Samel

Norman Finkelstein expresses certainty that the two-state solution remains achievable, but his argument contains several serious flaws.

Posted in BDS, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Occupation, One state/Two states, Settlers/Colonists | 48 Comments

Should Alan Dershowitz refuse to take himself seriously?

Posted on February 4, 2012 by David Samel

As Alan Dershowitz forcefully inserts himself into the BDS debate, it is helpful to recall Dershowtiz’s own insight into who should and should not be accepted as a “serious” thinker on peace in the Middle East. In his 2005 volume … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 17 Comments

Ron Paul’s foreign policy should be embraced

Posted on January 8, 2012 by David Samel

War always involves civilian casualties. Shouldn’t that make all of us antiwar except for the most dire of circumstances?

Posted in Iraq, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics | 57 Comments

Washington Post gives respectful treatment to Palestinian fears of Israeli drones

Posted on December 7, 2011 by David Samel

The Washington Post ran a surprising story about the “jarring effect on life in Gaza” from the menacing presence of Israeli killer drones.

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Media, Occupation | 18 Comments

‘Tennis in Nablus’ – well worth the trip to Hudson

Posted on September 18, 2011 by David Samel

This site already has published an excellent review by Lisa Mullenneaux of Ismail Khalidi’s Tennis in Nablus, which is running for one more week in Hudson, New York. My wife and I saw the play last night and loved it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 3 Comments

‘NY Times’ readership miles ahead of the newspaper of record

Posted on September 15, 2011 by David Samel

Some encouraging news from the New York Times. Wednesday’s article about U.S. efforts to avoid a UN vote on Palestine accepted comments from the public. As of this writing, 412 comments have been published, and the overwhelming sentiment is pro-Palestinian … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 8 Comments

On September 11, we remember the… 1 percent

Posted on September 12, 2011 by David Samel

Yesterday, the nation paused to remember the horrifying attacks of September 11, 2001, and the victims whose lives were cut short by the brutal calculations of those who place a higher value on their self-centered geopolitical theories than on human … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 22 Comments

All Israeli kindergarteners are required to sing the national anthem– except for ‘Arab sector’ children

Posted on August 14, 2011 by David Samel

According to a July Haaretz article, Israeli education authorities have implemented a new rule that kindergarten teachers must have their classes sing the Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, every week. This generated some debate in Israel about forced patriotism that poses … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 9 Comments

An open letter to Israeli boycott activists

Posted on July 13, 2011 by David Samel

Now that your government has made any calls for boycott illegal, I urge you to comply with the new law rather than risk financial penalties and even imprisonment. After all, Israel is a democracy, and every citizen should respect the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 20 Comments