Charges by a blogger at the liberal Media Matters website that American supporters of Israel put Jerusalem’s interest above that of their nation are nothing more than “bigotry,” says Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz in an exclusive Newsmax.TV interview.
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“I turned down [the post of] Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations when Prime Minister Netanyahu offered me that job because I’m an American and I support America,” Dershowitz explained in the interview.
“I don’t have to dual loyalty any more than any hyphenated Americans – Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, Greek-Americans,” he added. “I’m a Jewish-American and I certainly have love for Israel, but I’m an American first.”
Dershowitz has been in a war of words with M.J. Rosenberg, the senior foreign policy fellow for the left-wing website Media Matters for America. Rosenberg attacked the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) suggesting its loyalty lies with Jerusalem. “Saying AIPAC is guilty of dual loyalty is giving it credit for one more loyalty than it holds,” Rosenberg tweeted.
“It’s gotten much worse. Media Matters has doubled down and M.J. Rosenberg has now said that his only response is to tell me to ‘go to H-E-L-L,’ and to urge my students to picket my classes, as if the students would listen to him,” Dershowitz said.
“But he is worse than he has ever been,” added Dershowitz, explaining that Rosenberg in the past has defended Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and “applauded” former UPI White House correspondent Helen Thomas for saying Jews should leave Israel and go to Poland.
“How dare M.J. Rosenberg accuse us of being Israel-firsters,” stormed Dershowitz.
But he said his comments about Media Matters – the liberal site bankrolled by billionaire financial George Soros -- appear to have had an effect. Dershowitz said he believes the organization is no longer in regular contact with President Barack Obama’s White House.
“The tent of the Democrats isn’t wide enough to include the bigotry of Media Matters and the White House has to clearly disassociate itself.
“Since I’ve spoken about this, my information is the White House has had no communications with Media Matters. They have not been invited to the White House.
“So we are seeing statements of mine and others having some impact, he said adding that he now hopes Obama will formally disassociate himself in the way he repudiated the Rev. Jeremiah Wright before his 2008 election.”
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