The Absence of Evidence and Its Consequences in Travesties of Justice

Raphael Israeli

Jan 2019 · Cambridge Scholars Publishing

About this ebook

This book is built on the assumption that very often what seems to be evidence turns out to be “fake news”, while libels and stereotypes that have no foundation in reality are accepted as evidence, thus potentially causing travesties of justice. Examples are drawn here from several prominent and renowned case studies, including OJ Simpson’s trial, and the fiasco of American intervention in Iraq to search for the traces of weapons of mass-destruction, which were not found. The book also explores the history of anti-Semitism, which is replete with false accusations, where evidence was lacking and Jews were nevertheless convicted. It also shows how the Arab-Israeli conflict also demonstrates how unfounded accusations can be sustained by lies, proving that beliefs and prejudices are sometime stronger than hard facts.

About the author

Raphael Israeli taught Islamic, Chinese and Middle Eastern History at Hebrew University, Israel. He received his PhD in Chinese and Islamic History from the University of California, Berkeley in 1974. He is the author of 55 books and some 100 scholarly articles in the fields of Islamic radicalism, Islamic terrorism, the modern Middle East, Islam in China and Asia, and the opening of China by the French. His most recent publications include Death Camps in Croatia: Visions and Revisions (2013); Israel’s Nightmares: Palestinian and Islamic Zombies Haunting Israel (2015); The Internationalization of ISIS (2016); Pisces out of Morocco: the Saga of Clandestine Jewish Emigration (2016); Itinerant Jihadis: Arab and Muslim War Volunteers (2017); and Who is Right and Who is Left: The Fate of Weak Nations among Great Powers (2017), among others.