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Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz encouraged his audience to blackmail academic institutions into giving Israel their undivided loyalty and support, during a book signing at New York’s Young Israel of Scarsdale synagogue.

“We have to hit them in the pocketbook. Don’t ever, ever, be embarrassed about using Jewish power,” Dershowitz said, according to online media outlet Mondoweiss.

“Jewish power, whether it be intellectual, academic, economic, political – in the interest of justice is the right thing to do.”

Dershowitz justified his calls for right-wing ultra-Zionist Jews to intimidate US institutions into supporting Israel by insisting they “deserve" their "influence” in the US social and political spheres.

He had also criticised Jewish academics who are critical of Israel.

Noam Chomsky, who is an advocate of the two-state solution and sympathy toward Palestinians, was referred to as a “talking dog”.

Read also: Chomsky and the Syria revisionists: Regime whitewashing

Dershowitz was also highly critical of left-wing pro-Israel politicians. Despite praising Bernie Sanders’ for his staunch defence of Israel when speaking to AJ+ last week, Dershowitz remained suspicious over his “opportunistic support” for the Jewish state.

Sanders has in the past demanded that Palestinians should be treated with “respect and dignity”.

Trump ‘right’ about sacking Comey

In an interview with CNN, Dershowitz on Tuesday endorsed Trump’s decision to fire FBI director James Comey.

“Should Comey be the director of the FBI? The answer to that is no,” he said.

Comey was fired after heading an extensive investigation into whether Trump aides colluded with Russia to sway last year's election, with Democrats claiming allegations of a cover-up and demanding an independent inquiry. 

In early April, the Kremlin’s foreign ministry became the first country to state its willingness to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.