Short answer: Yes. Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard Law School professor emeritus, is one of the most visible pro-Israel voices in American public life. Through mid-2026 he has kept up a steady stream of public advocacy: he assembled a legal "dream team" to defend Israeli leaders against ICC war crimes charges, spoke at Harvard forums defending Israel's conduct in the Gaza war while urging a quick end to it, and in April 2026 completed a break with the Democratic Party he had begun in 2024, registering as a Republican over what he called its drift toward anti-Israel positions. As of August 2026, this remains his active, public position.
What Alan Dershowitz has actually said and done
November 25, 2024: In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Dershowitz announced he was assembling a legal "dream team," including former US attorneys general and other prominent lawyers, to defend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant against International Criminal Court war crimes charges. He called the ICC case politically motivated, according to The Jerusalem Post.
September 16, 2025: Dershowitz spoke at the inaugural "Middle East Dialogues" event at Harvard Kennedy School's JFK Jr. Forum. The Harvard Crimson described him as "a fierce supporter of Israel." He had told the Jewish Press in May 2025 that killing innocent civilians in Gaza could be justified under a cost-benefit analysis, a characterization the Crimson's coverage repeats in its follow-up report on the forum.
September 16, 2025: At that same Harvard forum, Dershowitz said Israel may have been wrong to invade Gaza, but he backed the country's broader response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. He also said he planned to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu in November to urge him to end the war "quickly and decisively," per The Harvard Crimson.
September 2024: Dershowitz left the Democratic Party to register as an independent, citing what he called anti-Jewish lawmakers and the tone of that year's Democratic National Convention.
April 22, 2026: Dershowitz announced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that he was completing the break by registering as a Republican, after roughly 67 years as a Democrat and two years as an independent. He called the Democratic Party the "most anti-Israel party in U.S. history," citing Democratic support for an arms embargo on Israel and anti-Israel rhetoric from a Michigan Senate candidate as his reasons, as reported by The Jerusalem Post and confirmed by The Times of Israel.
April 22, 2026: In that same op-ed, Dershowitz said that while the Republican Party still has antisemitic elements, he views them as remaining "on the fringe," whereas he believes the anti-Israel faction has moved from the Democratic Party's margins into its mainstream, according to The Times of Israel.
2019 (memoir): In his book "Defending Israel: The Story of My Relationship with My Most Challenging Client," Dershowitz recounts having visited Israel more than 100 times over his career and describes growing up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, tying his early attraction to Zionism to that upbringing, per a review from Reform Judaism (Union for Reform Judaism).
Who is Alan Dershowitz, and where does his support come from
Alan Dershowitz (born September 1, 1938) is a Harvard Law School professor emeritus, defense attorney, and author who has written extensively about Israel, including the book "The Case for Israel." He grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn and describes that upbringing as the root of his early attraction to Zionism. Over decades he has combined legal advocacy, including defending Israeli officials against international tribunals, with public debate appearances, op-eds, and direct political action on Israel's behalf.
His support is not uncritical. Reporting shows he has questioned specific tactical decisions, such as saying Israel "may have been wrong to invade Gaza," while still backing the broader campaign against Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack. His move to the Republican Party in April 2026, two years after leaving the Democrats for independent status, was explicitly over the party's stance on Israel and closely covered given his six decades as a Democrat. It shows his pro-Israel position now shapes his domestic political affiliation, not just his commentary on the Middle East.
The bottom line
Alan Dershowitz remains a strongly pro-Israel figure through 2026. He built a legal defense team for Israeli leaders facing ICC charges, publicly backs Israel's response to Hamas while sometimes questioning specific tactics, and registered as a Republican in April 2026, completing a break with the Democratic Party he began in 2024, explicitly because he judged it hostile to Israel.
Wear where you stand
Public figures like Dershowitz make their support for Israel visible through statements, op-eds, and political choices. You can make yours visible too. Our I Stand With Israel collection gathers pieces designed for exactly that: a quiet, everyday way to show which side of the conversation you're on.
Related
Does Caroline Glick Support Israel?
Does Daniel Gordis Support Israel?
Does Natan Sharansky Support Israel?
Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
