Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

This post will be part of my Dershowitz Watch series. Big Al has been tooting his big mouth again all over the place as is his wont.

The Forward notes his typically flamboyant rhetorical response to the vote by English university professors to support boycotting Israeli universities:

Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School professor and prominent pro-Israel advocate, said that to protest the vote he will attempt to mobilize 1,000 American university professors of diverse backgrounds to join him in declaring themselves honorary Israeli professors.

“I now consider myself an Israeli professor, and I will act as if I am an Israeli professor,” Dershowitz said. “If they boycott Israel,” he added, “they’re boycotting me.”

One has to admire Big Al’s attempt at pro-Israel solidarity. But really, it sounds a bit nutty to declare oneself “an honorary Israeli professor.” What does this mean in purely practical terms? How will you actually do anything to help Israel or combat the boycott? And does he really do Israeli professors or universities a favor in this? Does he really think that he is such a crucial figure that English academics will weep when they learn that they’ve lost contact with him? To me, this is just typical Dershowitz megalomania and self-aggrandizement.

I note with pleasure that this same Forward article utilizes my blog post (and credits Tikun Olam) about Yigal Arens’ being blackballed from an Israeli academic conference on web terrorism. I first learned about the story from Akiva Eldar in Haaretz and most recently Muzzlewatch.

Muzzlewatch has some more luscious bits about Dersh that are too juicy to pass up. Apparently, distinguished evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers wrote the Harvard hack a personal e-mail attacking his piteous defense of Israel’s war against the Lebanese people. Trivers quoted the message in a separate Wall Street Journal letter:

“Regarding your rationalization of Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians, let me just say that if there is a repeat of Israeli butchery toward Lebanon and if you decide once again to rationalize it publicly, look forward to a visit from me. Nazis — and Nazi-like apologists such as yourself — need to be confronted directly.”

Dershowitz was supposedly so alarmed that Trivers would come at him brandishing a dueling pistol that he reported the alleged threat to the Boston police. Harvard, in turn, cancelled a scheduled talk by Trivers in which he anticipated applying his award-winning academic research on self-deception to Dershowitz’s political views. Big Al says he had nothing to do with it. Given his sterling record of probity and rhetorical honesty, should we take him at his word?

Speaking as someone who is attacked & wished ill not only in this blog but in many other places on the web, I’d have to say that Dersh is pathetic in not being able to tell the difference between an unfortunate and overly dramatic attempt at a rhetorical flourish (on Trivers part) and a genuine threat. Methinks the big guy doth protest too much. He blows up Trivers comment into a physical threat to call more attention to poor old Al, victim of bigots and anti-Semites the world over.

On a related note, I find it ironic that Dershowitz is crying in his beer over Trivers’ abuse when the big man himself has been only too willing to defend ardently a particularly slimy attack by Kahanist Israeli academic, Steven Plaut, against fellow Israeli professor Neve Gordon. The latter wrote a favorable review of Norman Finkelstein’s Beyond Chutzpah in Haaretz. The aggrieved Plaut then tore into Gordon calling him a “Jew for Hitler” and another jolly Kahanist epithet, a “Juden-Rat” (get it?). Plaut also claimed Yaser Arafat was “Gordon’s guru” because the latter joined the Palestinian leader during a particularly nasty period of the Israeli siege against his compound.

To his credit, Gordon fought back and sued Plaut for libel and won. The judge awarded $18,000 to Gordon for his trouble. Plaut, who’d done his partner in hate (this is, Dershowitz) such a good turn in attacking Gordon, turned his back to Dershowitz for some “I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine.” The latter penned this typical poison pen letter (linked above) in the Jerusalem Post about Gordon’s court victory. It’s full of overblown rhetoric, innuendo, untruths and overstatements.
But hey, Al Dershowitz isn’t going to be stopped by a little thing called truth or fairness. Why be fair when you have a chance to knock a man over the head with a rhetorical hammer? I especially love this little number:

…If Finkelstein and Gordon aren’t themselves explicitly neo-Nazi, they’re at least very highly regarded by those who are - and for good reason

You notice that Al tiptoes up to that statement “If Finkelstein and Gordon aren’t themselves explicitly neo-Nazi…” before retreating a bit (but only a bit) by saying that they might as well be neo-Nazis since they’re allegedly beloved by them. This is of course ludicrous rhetorical argument. If I make an argument in good faith and someone I heartily disapprove of twists my argument into something I didn’t intend, am I responsible for such an abuse? To put it even more starkly: am I a neo-Nazi or as good as one if a neo-Nazi exploits my words for his own shady use? The answer is most emphatically No. To argue otherwise is intellectually bankrupt and disingenuous. One other rabid right-wing pro-Israel nut argues in precisely the same manner, David Horowitz and his slug/slimefest, Frontpagemagazine. I can remember the latter’s feeble attempt to call Brit Tzedek Jew-hating because a board member had been quoted at an Islamic website.

We should further note that one slimy hand washes another: Plaut has publicly taken up the cudgels against Norman Finkelstein in his current efforts to gain tenure at DePaul University with this beaut, The Second City’s Twin Academic Neonazis. Notice that while Dersh was too cute by half in his “neo-Nazi” claim, Plaut dispenses with any ambiguity and charges them outright with the “crime.” The chief campaigner against Finkelstein is none other than–you guessed it–Big Al. These hateful, defaming louts are one big happy tag-team wrestling family.

I guess I should consider myself in august company to have a defamatory website created by Steven Plaut to mock me: Little Dickie’s Diaper Droppings. I have a question for Professor Dershowitz though–does he really want to get into bed with lunatics like Plaut who use pornography (among other techniques) to defame their victims? Al should just be glad that Trivers didn’t write about him the porno poetry Plaut has fraudulently atttributed to me:

I’m a little jerkoff
That [sic] I shout
A know-nothing twit and
a terrorist no doubt
When I get “religious”
then I just
stroke my penis to see what comes out.

As to who’s stroking whom, I’d say there’s a lot more of it going on between Dersh and Plaut.

UPDATE: Since originally writing this post, I have learned that an anonymous individual claims responsibility for the fake blog and says neither Steven Plaut nor Rachel Neuwirth has participated. So while I have no idea whether this person is being truthful, it is possible that Plaut is either not involved in the blog, is partially involved, or that the blog claimant is lying and Plaut is fully responsible. I don’t yet know for sure which is the case.

The fake blog was created in the immediate aftermath of a series of posts I wrote criticizing Rachel Neuwirth,which leads me to believe that she has had some direct or indirect involvement in the creation of this website. Again, I cannot yet determine the full extent of that involvement though it appears likely to me there is at least some, if not a good deal.

tags alan-dershowitz-declares-himself-honorary-israeli-profe, jewish-cyber-bullying, steven-plaut-dershowitz-ally

Richard Perle ran a fool’s errand by attempting to defend U.S. foreign policy before an audience of Guardian readers in England yesterday night. Since he admits he failed miserably, he thought the second time might be the charm, so he wrote a Comment is Free blog post: We Had the Very Best Intentions. To which I reply: “The Road to Hell is Paved With…”

Does this joker really think having pure intentions should win him any points in this foreign policy debate? What about proper planning and execution? What about understanding what one’s limits should be?

tags comment-is-free, richard-perle, the-guardian, u.s.-iraq-policy, we-had-the-very-best-of-intentions

Recently, I wrote here about the tragic conviction of Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Diaz for leaking the names of Guantanamo inmates to a human rights lawyer in 2003. Even though the military later released all the names anyway, Diaz was convicted on the improbable charge of damaging the interests of the U.S. by revealing the names. He was sentenced to six months in prison. All for doing what any decent American should’ve done. All for standing up for traditional American values of freedom, decency, fairness and the rule of law.

Diaz’ niece saw my post at TPMCafe and wrote me a nice note thanking me. Then Bryan White, one of my readers, asked me if he could contact Diaz to thank him for his bravery:

Poor bastard! They’ve got the wrong guy in jail. He’s been locked up for obeying the law.

…I’m sending him a letter telling him I admire him and that I wish him the best. See if he needs anything or just feels like corresponding. Show solidarity. I support the guy and want to be sure he knows it. Millions of people support him. I just hope he doesn’t come out of this bitter or hateful…

Matt agreed to recieve mail from Bryan and the former’s niece graciously provided his military address. I was thinking that if others of my readers would like to do this I could pass on your names to his niece and ask her permission to provide Matt’s postal address.

But you can’t have Matt’s e mail address because the Navy denies him e-mail privileges. You also can’t send Matt copied pages from any media (including the internet). You can only send him newspapers or magazines that are pre-approved. The idea that a man who gave 18 yrs of his life as a Navy lawyer is locked up as a common criminal & prevented even from using e mail is so repugnant as to be beyond belief. This man is a patriot & deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom, not 6 months in solitary. What is the Navy afraid of–that he will communicate some secret code to yet another human rights lawyer and give away the keys to the kingdom?

Matt Diaz is an American patriot. The military brass and CIA officers running Gitmo and their enablers back in DC are the criminals who deserve six months in the brig for ignoring our Constitution. Matt should be giving lessons in habeus corpus and due process to senators like Lindsay Graham and John McCain who essentially “legalized Gitmo.”

tags matthew-diaz-leaks-names-of-guantanamo-detainees, navy-officer-convicted-of-helping-human-rights-lawyers

Ministers Meir Sheetrit and Rafi Eitan proposed Wednesday that Israel produce its own version of the Qassam rocket to be fired at targets inside the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket fire on its southern communities.

The suggestion was made at a meeting of the security cabinet to discuss the ongoing military operation aimed at countering Qassam fire from Gaza.

The two said that this kind of rocket, which would cost very little, would cause a small amount of damage but would put pressure on the population in Gaza.

…Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Eli Yishai of Shas proposed that Israel use air strikes to destroy Palestinian towns and villages in response to the rocket fire, after giving local residents advance notice allowing them to evacuate their homes.

…Shas MK Yitzhak Cohen proposed cutting off the supply of electricity, water and fuel to the Strip, and justify the move by saying that Qassam rockets had destroyed Israel’s infrastructure and that it will take a long time to repair the facilities with which to supply the Palestinians with basic resources. Shin Bet security service director Yuval Diskin suggested that Cohen’s idea is worth examining.

–Haaretz, today

Surely they jest. It must be a cruel joke, right? But indeed they do not. Because Hamas is using crude, largely ineffective, difficult to aim missiles against Sderot–Israel should adopt the same tactics?? I’m–well, speechless is what I am. This is a brilliant tactic. It will certainly sow terror into Gaza, bring it to its knees and cause it immediately to surrender.

As for engineering the wholesale destruction of Palestinian towns and villages…it certainly worked in Lebanon, didn’t it? It oughta work in Gaza too.

How about cutting off basic vital supplies necessary to sustain life? That’s a winner too. The rockets have allegedly destroyed “Israel’s infrastructure.” That is, a few roofs, cars and a parking lot. Certainly comparable to the havoc that Israel has rained on Gaza in the past year since the Shalit kidnapping.

Make no mistake, I am opposed to Qassams and condemn the killing of innocent civilians on both sides. But with brilliant ideas like the ones above Israel might as well tell its government to quit and nominate a three-ring circus to take their place. They’re about as effective.

Oh, and I’d suggest that each of the above minister leave their calling cards with the International Court of Justice as, if their suggestions are implemented, that Court will definitely be inviting them to explain themselves at a future date.

tags fire-israeli-qassams-at-gaza, qassam-attacks-on-sderot, turn-off-gaza-electricity-water

One of the arguments of professors against the international boycott campaign against Israeli universities is that it is improper to mix academia and politics. What impact do universities have on Israeli policy toward the Palestinians? How do academic institutions support the Occupation? Many professors get into high moral dudgeon when they respond to arguments in favor of a boycott. It deeply offends them that the purity of academic discourse should be sullied by partisan political considerations in which academia should have no part.

Having spent a large part of my life studying at universities, I am highly sympathetic to their mission. However, something about the above argument I found unpersuasive. Now, a particular incident involving Yigal Arens has further persuaded me of the emptiness of this argument.

Arens, a specialist in information systems related to terrorism and disaster preparedness, was invited by an American colleague who was co-organizing a workshop at an academic conference in Israel to participate. Arens warned the American professor that in the past he has not felt welcome at similar Israeli academic gatherings because his views critical of Israeli policy have rankled both the Israeli government and certain conservative members of the academic elite.

Several days later, the workshop organizer called Arens and disinvited him from participating:

I received a urgent call from Prof. Kantor. He apologized profusely and said that he had been told by the Israelis that government personnel would be present — people who would feel uncomfortable if I participated. He was instructed to rescind the invitation, which he was doing.

It took several email requests before Dr. Shapira [the Israeli workshop co-organizer] agreed to provide an explanation. All she said, though, was that Prof. Kantor had “exceeded his authority in extending the invitation without full consultation with the conference organizers.”

One has to ask the question: if Israeli universities adhere to a policy of separating politics from academic discourse, then why did the Ben Gurion University conference organizers allow Israeli government personnel to cause Prof. Arens to be blackballed?? Why is Arens viewed as someone who might compromise the security of the conference by his attendance? Is he an enemy of the state merely because he espouses views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict contrary to Israeli government policy?

Rather laughably, BGU’s public relations office told a Chronicle of Higher Education reporter that rescinding Arens’ invitation had no political connotation whatsoever:

She [the reporter] said that when she contacted BGU’s PR people they stated that the decision was “absolutely not political”

What amazes me is that this “savvy” reporter took the statement at face value and decided there was nothing to the story! Does this constitute the journalistic standards of the Chronicle? They’re sure bulldogs for a story–tracking down every lead and following them indefatigably wherever they may lead, aren’t they?

I’ve suggested to Yigal that he also approach Inside Higher Education, The Forward and Jewish Week to cover this story if he hasn’t already done so. The conference is scheduled for June 4-5th. Too bad the Israeli government has politicized an academic conference and tarnished the concept of intellectual freedom in the process.

Hat tip to Muzzlewatch.

tags chronicle-of-higher-education-poor-journalism, Israeli-academic-boycott, yigal-arens-disinvited-from-israeli-academic-conference

David Kimche must have undergone something of a conversion during the 1990s after he left the Israeli foreign ministry as its director general. His involvement with the Iran-Contra scandal cost him his most coveted wish--to become Mosad chief. After leaving government service, he's become something of a dove, which is rather remarkable considering his earlier championing of the first Lebanon War and his reputation as one of Israel's pre-eminent spooks. In the Jerusalem Post (yes, I guess they do have to fill a quota of dovish op-ed pieces and do let some slip by their neocon political filter), Kimche provides his recipe for ending Palestinian civil strife and engaging Hamas in the peace process: Just think of it. Mighty ...

Not to be outdone by its dismal showing during the Lebanon War, the IDF is attempting to give it the old college try once more in Gaza. In response to the Fatah-Hamas civil strife over the past few weeks, in which Fatah came out on the losing end, and Hamas' renewed rocket barrage on Sderot, the IDF has decided to strike back. So far, this has been the result: Since May 17, when Israel escalated its strikes, 47 Palestinians have been killed by air attacks, including 15 civilians, seven of them under the age of 16, said Dr. Moawiya Hassanain, a spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. More than 170 have been wounded. In other words, ...

You can see the top notch quality of strategic thinking of Israel's officer corps in this series of policy recommendations offered by former IDF chief of staff Moshe Yaalon: Attempts to prevent the nuclearization of Iran will fail, according to former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon, who asserted Saturday that the military option should be examined and the Iranian regime should be brought down. Speaking on Channel 2's "Meet the Press," Ya'alon also proposed going into Gaza with massive ground forces to "clean" the area without taking it over for a long period. He said he feared that within a year terrorists would be firing Katyushas at Kiryat Gat and Ashdod. "No one will solve the problem ...

When you write regularly as a progressive Zionist about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict either as a blogger or journalist you invariably face tremendous opposition. You are always explaining and defending your positions to critics, sometimes extremely hostile ones as anyone who reads the comment threads here can attest. That's why I found Gershon Baskin's Answering My Critics so useful. He writes a regular column for the Jerusalem Post. You can't get more daring than that as an Israeli progressive--like sticking your head in the lion's mouth. So naturally Baskin gets fierce, derisive, antagonistic and even hateful responses from his reader-critics. In this essay he takes a step back from general everyday coverage of the conflict ...

I've been denounced here by Christian fundamentalists, Islamic extremists, Kahanists, anti-Semites, anti-abortionists--you name it. But today is the first time I've been denounced by someone who would've done better if she'd tried to flay me in her own native language (Spanish in this case, I think). I know this is a bit of linguistic cruelty, but if you want to insult me and do it badly, you're gonna pay the price: Name = Carlita Morales Email = genivaldacostaneves1@yahoo.com.br Subject = Bother Message = and Good Job. may a muslim, the one you protect, do to you what they do to poor jews living in yehudah and shomron and aza, JEWISH LANDS for centuries. BTW, palestinians so not exist Zahir Hussein said and to this ...