Carter to give way to empty chair
Brandeis University has agreed to have Alan Dershowitz present a rebuttal after Jimmy Carter gives his speech about the "apartheid" Israel allegedly has imposed on the Palestinians. Orignally, Dershowitz had hoped to debate Carter, but the former president, his survival instinct still intact, was having none of that. Instead, Dershowitz, in effect, will debate an empty chair.
As things now stand, Carter will talk for about 15 minutes and then take questions from the audience for 45 minutes. Dershowitz won’t be allowed in the gymnasium during Carter’s appearance, as attendance will be limited to university students, faculty and staff. He will watch from another location on campus.
Dershowitz says he plans to raise the fact that Carter and his Atlanta-based Carter Center have accepted money from Arab donors. The center's 2005 annual report shows that more than $1 million each has been contributed by such benefactors as the government of the United Arab Emirates, Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Fund of the royal family in Saudi Arabia. Dershowitz intends to "accuse [Carter] of having had his silence on Arab human rights bought by Arab money." Though Carter won't be around to respond to Dershowitz, perhaps a Brandeis student will confront him about this matter.
