Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor emeritus, sharply criticized Canada and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government as “our enemy now” during a pro-Israel gathering in Manhattan this week.
Speaking at the second annual Rage Against Hate conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Dershowitz said Canada “earned his scorn” for recognizing what he called “a nonexistent entity,” referring to Palestine, and for “not doing enough to combat antisemitism.”
He also faulted Carney for saying earlier this month that Canada would honor an ICC warrant for Netanyahu and arrest him if he entered the country.
“Should such an arrest occur,” Dershowitz said, “I will come up to Canada. I will defend Netanyahu, and I will go after everybody who has tried to arrest him.”
Dershowitz, a longtime civil liberties advocate and frequent defender of Israeli government policies, added that he supports the idea of the United States imposing tariffs and possibly sanctions on Canada “for its statements regarding Israel and Netanyahu.”
The daylong conference was produced by Shurat HaDin–Israel Law Center, an Israeli NGO that uses civil litigation to target terror financing and alleged incitement.
The organization’s past legal campaigns have included actions against Al Jazeera over alleged ties to Hamas, a high‑profile Antiterrorism Act case against the Palestinian Authority and PLO that initially yielded a $655 million jury award before being overturned on appeal, and litigation tied to Airbnb’s policies on listings in West Bank settlements.
Other speakers included former Mossad director Yossi Cohen; Australian broadcaster Erin Molan; Arab‑Israeli influencer and former IDF commander Yoseph Haddad; and Anne Bayefsky of Human Rights Voices.
Dershowitz, in media interviews and from the stage, dismissed pro‑Palestinian activism as “pro‑hate,” and argued that elements of the Palestinian movement “have encouraged terrorism.”
He said he wants anti‑Zionists to “learn their cause is not a just one,” asserting that recent demonstrations rarely call for a two‑state solution.
The conference unfolded amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Israel and Canada. In recent weeks, Carney has publicly said Canada will comply with the ICC warrant should Netanyahu travel to Canadian territory, a stance that has drawn objections from Israeli officials.
Canada last month also joined a growing list of countries that formally recognize a Palestinian state, framing the move as part of a coordinated attempt to preserve a two‑state solution.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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