Norwegian Bigot Explains Himself

Trond Andresen

Professor Alan Dershowitz’s recent Wall Street Journal column about the academic cold shoulder he encountered in Norway when all three of the nation’s major universities refused his offer to speak on the subject of Israel and International Law included reference to the strikingly bigoted statements of academic Trond Andresen. This assistant professor at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), who’d previously led an attempted boycott of Israel, was evidently stung by exposure in the Journal and wanted to clarify his opinion of Jews.

He insists in a column in Norway’s Aftenposten newspaper that “I’m not an anti-Semite, Dershowitz” and writes:

I was attacked by Alan M. Dershowitz because I publicly expressed my attitude about the problems of the global Jewish community.

The quote that AMD used from me included two distinct fragments that were taken out of context, from a post I wrote during Israel’s Gaza bombing. But such criticism is – whether correct or not – taboo. It is met with shouting “anti-Semitism.” But I have no racist attitudes towards Jews, and reject such a label.

Let me use another group, the Muslims, as an example. For years they have been subjected to public and persistent criticism of not only Islamic terrorism, but with regard to the large (and peaceful) majority of Muslims, of the attitudes towards women, gays, religion and more. Public opinion is that Muslims as a group must work to address their attitudes. I agree. Criticism is warranted and should be repeated in public. Many Muslims also take this criticism seriously.

Then it is reasonable that a similar debate about Jews as a cultural group (whether religious or secular, those who identify with his background) must be allowed. And I think that a prominent concern is their “tribal mentality” believing “we are worth the most, we are the best.”

My assessment is shared by many Jewish dissidents, such as the late Israel Shahak (survivor of Bergen-Belsen), who wrote books on the subject. And writer and musician Gilad Atzmon. None of us are racists!

Israel is heading for the cliff with its policies today. Self-reflection in the global Jewish community can help to change course. Therefore, such criticism is useful for the Jews themselves.

It seems Norwegian academia is heading off the cliff and, like Andresen, needs a lot of self-reflection.