Alan Dershowitz says ‘anti-Israeli zealots are loving’ accusations against him
Prominent jurist strongly denies claim that he had sexual relations with a young woman.
By SAM SOKOLFamed lawyer Alan Dershowitz(photo credit: REUTERS)
Anti-Semites and anti-Israel “zealots” are having a field day over sexual abuse allegations leveled against him, prominent Jewish American law professor Alan Dershowitz told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.Dershowitz, who is well-known for his pro-Israel advocacy and high-profile court cases, has been accused of engaging in sexual relations with a young woman employed by former client Jeffrey Epstein.Beyond the damage to his reputation, Dershowitz bemoaned the fact that he was “beginning to get all kinds of emails [from] anti-Israel and anti-Semitic groups, the most recent one saying ‘see Jews have always been in charge of the sex trade.’”“The anti-Semites are crawling out from under their rocks, they are loving this. And the anti-Israel zealots are loving this” as well, he said. “I'm not only defending myself here but I am defending other values as well. I am defending the values that I have represented and stood for, for so many years.”Last week, Dershowitz was named in a lawsuit charging that federal prosecutors in Florida broke the law by granting Epstein a plea deal to avoid a federal prosecution. According to a court filing quoted by the website Politico, Epstein forced the minor, referred to as Jane Doe #3, to have sex with Britain’s Prince Andrew, Dershowitz and other prominent figures.“I don't know this woman. I've never been with this woman. I've never been in the places and times they say I was. I can prove all that,” Dershowitz told the Post.Doe’s aim was to show that Epstein’s plea deal was invalid by showing that his attorneys were involved in sexual activities, he continued, adding that the allegations against him were “completely fabricated and made up out of whole cloth.”Beyond the damage to his reputation, Dershowitz also bemoaned the fact that he was “beginning to get all kinds of emails [from] anti-Israel and anti-Semitic groups, the most recent one saying ‘see Jews have always been in charge of the sex trade.’”Dershowitz stated that he will not rest until the world knows that the charges against him were fabricated and in pursuit of this goal he will be file disbarment proceedings against Doe’s legal team for “filing a false statement in court” as well as initiating a defamation action.“I am seeking to enter an appearance in the case in order to be able to challenge them in court. I am filing a sworn affidavit which subjects me to perjury prosecution if I am lying and I am waiving the statute of limitations on any criminal charges and challenging the woman to file criminal charges against me because if she does she's committed a crime by filing the false charge,” he said.Dershowitz encouraged Doe to “speak out” and provide details of her allegations to the media so that he could refute her point by point.“There is an irony to it in that she has said I am trying to silence her. To the contrary I am trying to make her make her speak so she repeats these statements,” he said.Doe alleged that she had sex on private airplanes and in multiple locations in the United States with Dershowitz and that Epstein made er have sex with the Duke of York in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island, as part of "an orgy with numerous other under-aged girls.”Her accusations came as part of an ongoing civil case brought against the US government by several women claiming they were abused by Epstein, who served jail time on state child sex charges but was not prosecuted in federal court as part of a plea agreement.JTA and Reuters contributed to this report.
