Prominent Jewish-American lawyer Alan Dershowitz voiced strong support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal battle and the country’s war effort against Hamas in Gaza, while criticizing what he called global double standards and rising anti-Israel sentiment.
In an interview with Ynet, Dershowitz defended both Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, claiming both have been targeted by politicized prosecutions. “Trump was convicted of a non-crime and is now appealing. He feels sympathy for Netanyahu, who’s facing charges that are not valid at all,” said Dershowitz.
Interview with Alan Dershowitz
(Video: Lior Sharon)
“Already the court has basically said the last charges aren't particularly strong. The first charges involving amounts of liquor and other things are not really the kind of case you should bring,” he added.
Dershowitz argued that Netanyahu’s prosecution is a distraction from critical diplomatic efforts involving the U.S., Gaza and Iran. “It’s in the American interest to have an ally who can work with them on Gaza and Iran, not to have his time taken by what will turn out to be a charge that in the end is not valid.”
He also addressed criticism from some Israelis who oppose foreign involvement in domestic legal matters, dismissing it as politically motivated. “A lot of these people have BDS — Bibi Derangement Syndrome,” he said, using a term to mock Netanyahu's critics. “Nothing Netanyahu does is ever correct, nothing that anybody does on his behalf is ever correct.”
Describing the indictment over media relations as absurd, Dershowitz said, “Is there any politician who doesn’t try to get the media to give favorable information about them and their family? It really violates the principles of free speech.”
Dershowitz, who said he has advised Netanyahu on the case, urged the prime minister to continue fighting the charges. Turning to Israel’s international standing, Dershowitz claimed Hamas has successfully manipulated global opinion.
“There’s no question that Hamas has won the information war,” he said. “They have a strategy: kill Israeli civilians and provoke Israel into fighting back, hide your civilians among terrorists and then Israel will kill civilians. And then Piers Morgan will turn against the Israeli army.”
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Comparing Israel’s military campaign to U.S. conduct during World War II, he added, “What Israel has been doing is no different from what America did when it was fighting Nazism and Imperial Japan. In fact, Israel has killed fewer civilians than any comparable army in any comparable war in modern history.”
Asked about conspiracy theories tying Israel to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Dershowitz — who previously served as Epstein’s attorney — dismissed them outright. “It is an absolute lie that Jeffrey Epstein worked for the Mossad. I know that for a fact,” he said.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump
(Photo: Kevin Dietsch, GettyImages)
“If he had worked for the Mossad or the CIA, the first thing he would do is tell me and have me use that to help him get a better deal.” He added that Israel’s involvement in such accusations — as well as in global forums like the UN or even New York’s mayoral race — is part of “historic worldwide antisemitism.”
Dershowitz warned that Israel may be losing support among the next generation of Americans. “College students today, who are the future leaders, are turning against Israel,” he said. But he stressed that Israel cannot afford to let international perception shape its national security.
“Israel has to fight its own battles and it has to remember it really has no friends that it can count on,” he said. “Only through strength will Israel achieve peace.”
He added that Israel must prioritize military victory over public relations: “The world loves winners. Donald Trump loves winners. It is far better to fight back, win the wars and then worry about public relations later.”