Dershowitz: Israel may hit Iran on nuke threat

One of the nation’s leading liberal minds is convinced Israel will do what it has to do to survive, suggesting the country may act on its own and attack Iran, despite President Obama’s nuclear deal.Former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowtiz told WND, “I have to tell you, if (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu learns through credible intelligence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, he will not allow that to happen.”Dershowitz is a Democrat and generally a supporter of Obama, but the professor divided sharply with the president over his nuclear deal with Iran.“I don’t think it’s a good deal,” said Dershowitz. “I wish they had been more transparent. I wish it had gone before Congress as a treaty. But the administration chose to make it an executive order.”The famous constitutional scholar and defender of Israel was in Washington to accept a prestigious award, honored as a “Speaker of Truth” by the pro-Israel organization EMET last week.And it put him in a curious position. It is unlikely that Dershowitz has ever before been on a list including such staunch conservatives as previous honorees Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas; Dr. Charles Krauthammer; former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.; former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton; and former Rep. Allen West, R-Fla.But Dershowitz couldn’t have appeared to be more delighted or honored, showing the high bipartisan regard in which EMET is held by strong supporters of Israel on both sides of the aisle. There usually has been a Democrat among the half-dozen, or so, EMET honorees every year since 2007.Honored this year, in addition to Dershowitz were:Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla.: Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.Brian Mast: U.S. Army veteran and former Israeli Defense Forces volunteer. He served under elite Joint Special Operations Command as a bomb disposal expert. Mast loss of both legs to an IED in Afghanistan in 2010.Frank Gaffney: Founder and president of the Center for Security Policy. Gaffney served as the assistant secretary of defense for international security policy for President Ronald Reagan.Raheel Raza: Muslim-Canadian award-winning author, journalist, public speaker and human rights activist.When asked by WND if the president had a blind spot when it came to Israel’s security, Dershowitz replied, “I think it’s a mixed picture.”“My Israeli friends who are in the security business tell me that this administration has been quite good. They supported Israel’s self-defense efforts in Gaza, they opposed the Goldstone Report (a 2009 U.N. report accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza), they oppose the BDS (boycott, divestment sanctions) movement, they have provided Israel with weaponry and are now in the process of trying to finalize a military allocation.”But, he noted, “The area I think where Israel and the United States are in most disagreement is Iran, which is, of course, a security issue. If you ask this administration, they will tell you they think they are protecting Israel’s security for the next 10 years. I don’t agree with that. Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t agree with that.”The professor mentioned the other areas of major disagreement have been the settlements (he sides with administration in generally opposing them) and the peace process, “And I really do think that the Obama administration is wrong when it comes to criticizing Israel on the peace process. Israel has offered to make peace in 2000, 2001 and 2008. You can go back to 1937, 1947… It’s been the Palestinians who have refused to negotiate a reasonable two state solution.”He concluded, “I am disappointed in the Obama administration’s overall approach to Israel. My disappointment is primarily a function of the Iran deal.”

 

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