Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, who has gained notoriety
for both his work on several high-profile criminal defense cases
such as the O.J. Simpson and Mike Tyson trials and his vocal
support of Israel, will be speaking on campus today.
The topic, which Dershowitz calls “How the World’s
Obsessive Focus on Israel’s Imperfections Takes Attention
Away from Real Genocide,” will be moderated by UCLA Law
Professor Jonathan Zasloff.
The event, sponsored by students groups including UCLA Hillel
and Bruins for Israel, will be an interview-style discussion with
Zasloff. It will then be opened up for a question-and-answer
session with the audience, said Bruins for Israel president Leeron
Morad.
Dershowitz has repeatedly defended the actions of the Israeli
military against accusations of human rights violations. Morad
called Dershowitz “one of the strongest supporters for
Israel.”
In 2003, Dershowitz published “The Case for Israel”
and has maintained a high profile, frequently taking part in
debates and publishing articles. He also published a book about the
O.J. Simpson trial.
According to his personal Web site, Dershowitz supports a
two-state solution, citing extremism on both sides of the
issue.
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller of UCLA Hillel said Dershowitz is
concerned with the double standard to which the rest of the world
holds Israel.
“He is concerned with balancing what we call human rights
interests with the needs of survival,” Seidler-Feller
said.
The student groups invited him to help inform the student
community about Israel’s side of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, Morad said.
“He’s always willing to come to speak to students
… to give himself to campuses,” Seidler-Feller said.
The event will likely attract people on both sides of the
Israeli-Palestinian debate.
“I hope anyone who may disagree with Dershowitz should
come to the event to ask him a question,” Morad said.
Randa Wahbe, co-president of UCLA Students for Justice in
Palestine, said she plans to attend the event.
“We’re definitely interested in what Dershowitz has
to say just because we believe in freedom of speech,” she
said.
But Wahbe called bringing Dershowitz to campus “a barrier
to peace” and said she believes Dershowitz has skewed facts
and lacks credibility.