When an influential American liberal and prominent legal mind walks away from the Democratic Party, it will make waves. And Alan Dershowitz has done exactly that.
A Democrat since age 14, the 87-year-old now says what drove him away. “I can’t be associated with a party that’s kind of leading the anti-Zionist, anti-Israel morphing into anti-Semitic campaign.”
Dershowitz tells CBN News the breaking point has been building, and it really accelerated after the 2024 DNC Convention, where he says the party provided a platform to anti-Israel voices, which led to hateful rhetoric in this year’s key Senate races. The embrace of controversial figures like Hasan Piker has only made things worse.
“I got banned completely from the New York Times. But now they’re giving a platform to Hassan Piker because he’s so close to Democrats. Rahm Emanuel, Bernie Sanders, all these people are now getting in bed with a Nazi, a real Nazi. I mean, not just a pseudo Nazi, but somebody who might as well be wearing a swastika,” he explained.
Dershowitz is turning that frustration into action, saying in addition to leaving the party, he’s actively working against it. “I decided I had to devote all my energy to making sure the Democrats do not control the House, do not control the Senate, do not control the presidency, because that would all be bad for America, for Israel, for peace.”
As a Jew, he’s also sick and tired of antisemitic tropes, like the accusations that Israel somehow pulls strings to influence President Trump in making decisions with Iran and the broader Middle East.
“First of all, why would Trump ever, from a political point of view, favor Israel? Favoring Israel doesn’t get you votes these days. Certainly, it doesn’t get you crossover votes. What Trump is doing is based on principle, not politics. And he’s certainly not being pushed around by Netanyahu. Any claim that Israel is pulling the strings or Israel is making the decisions for Trump is both stupid, ignorant, and bigoted.”
For Dershowitz, though, this goes beyond politics—it’s become personal. That’s because the cost of speaking out has led to losing relationships and being shut out of institutions that once regularly welcomed him. He says temples and Jewish organizations won’t even host him. Bookstores have stopped carrying his books. But here’s where it gets even more interesting.
He is fully confident that other prominent Democrats privately feel how he feels but aren’t saying anything publicly. “Oh, I know that for a fact,” he says. “In fact, I probably got 20 phone calls and emails just when I wrote my op-ed to the Wall Street Journal saying, ‘You speak for me. Thank you for saying it,’ but they don’t want to say it. First of all, they’re terrified about alienating their family members.”
And it doesn’t stop there. He believes the Democrats’ shift against Israel and move toward antisemitism could mean disaster for the party. So, how will history judge the Democratic Party on this when it comes to Israel?
“Horribly,” Dershowitz tells CBN News. “The Democratic Party is today in the early stages of what have developed into really anti-Semitic parties like Britain’s Labor Party, early on, and the Spanish Left.”
Dershowitz believes this is a defining moment, not just for the party, but for America. “When you turn against Israel today, you’re turning against America tomorrow. And that’s been proved over, over time when you’re turning against Western values, Judeo-Christian values, and values of decency. So, I think the Democratic Party is going into the waste bin of history.”
And now Alan Dershowitz is writing a new chapter in his storied career.
