Alan Dershowitz denounces propaganda attempt by the anti-Israel movement regarding Harvard Fund stock sale

Professor Alan Dershowitz made the following statement today regarding Harvard's Sale of Israeli Stocks


I have been advised by Harvard that the decision of The Harvard's Management Company to sell stocks in Israeli companies reflected the good news that Israel is no longer considered an "emerging" economy, but has been promoted to the status of a "developed" economy. As a result of this promotion, the Harvard Management Company could no longer hold Israeli stocks in its "emerging" nation's portfolio. I am told that Harvard continues to hold Israeli stocks in its "developed" nation's portfolio. The end result may well be that Harvard will have greater rather than lesser holdings of Israeli stocks. No one should misinterpret this purely economic decision as support for any form of divestment against Israel. Indeed, Harvard has publicly committed itself not to divest from Israel and not to participate in any campaign of boycotting the Jewish nation.

There will be some irresponsible anti-Israel extremists who will try to portray this technical economic decision as an attack against Israel. Shame on them. They will continue to lose their credibility among all reasonable and objective people if they try to take political advantage of this purely technical decision.



Professor Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.  He has also published more than 100 articles in magazines and journals such as The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, The Nation, Commentary, Saturday Review, The Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal, and more than 300 of his articles have appeared in syndication in 50 national daily newspapers. Professor Dershowitz is the author of 27 fiction and non-fiction works with a worldwide audience. His most recent titles include Rights From Wrong, The Case For Israel, The Case For Peace, Blasphemy: How the Religious Right is Hijacking the Declaration of Independence, Preemption: A Knife that Cuts Both Ways, Finding Jefferson – A Lost Letter, A Remarkable Discovery, and The First Amendment In An Age of Terrorism, and The Case For Moral Clarity: Israel, Hamas and Gaza.