[Correction: We have learned from James Gelvin that the assignment to locate and write about the historical errors in Alan Dershowitz's book, The Case for Israel, also included Jimmy Carter's book, The Blood of Abraham.] It seemed too good to be true: the required reading in UCLA history professor James Gelvin’s fall 2014 class, History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1881 to Present, includes a pro-Israel book, Alan Dershowitz’s The Case for Israel (2004).  Described by the New York Times Book Review as “[e]specially effective at pointing to the hypocrisy of many of Israel’s critics,” the Washington Post Book World called it a “lively, hotly argued broadside against Israel’s increasingly venomous critics.” Why would a professor so openly critical of Israel assign such a work?  To balance his own unfavorable views on the topic, perhaps?  To spark classroom debate on complex issues? Not quite.  A...(Read Full Article)