NEW YORK CITY  (VINnews)-Alan Dershowitz, the prominent civil liberties lawyer and Harvard Law School professor emeritus, announced Monday he has registered as a Republican after 67 years as a registered Democrat, citing the party’s sharp turn against Israel.

In an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal, Dershowitz wrote that he first registered as a Democrat in 1959 and had supported the party for decades, including campaigning for John F. Kennedy as a college student. He left the Democrats in September 2024 to become an independent, frustrated by what he called anti-Jewish lawmakers and the tone of the Democratic National Convention.

“I’ve decided to bite the bullet and register as a Republican,” Dershowitz wrote. “The Democratic Party has become the most anti-Israel party in U.S. history.”

He pointed to last week’s Senate vote in which all but seven Democrats backed an arms embargo against Israel and the rising prominence of candidates he described as hostile to the Jewish state, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race.

Dershowitz, a longtime defender of Israel and vocal critic of antisemitism, said he disagrees with Republicans on many domestic issues but can no longer support a party he believes threatens the Jewish state’s security. He said he will vote Republican for Congress and president “until something changes” and plans to urge pro-Israel Democrats to follow his lead.

The 87-year-old Brooklyn native has been one of the most visible Jewish voices in American legal and political circles for decades. He has represented high-profile clients, taught at Harvard for nearly 50 years and written extensively in defense of Israel. His switch comes as some Jewish voters have expressed growing unease with Democratic leaders over their response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Dershowitz said he wishes he could register as a “foreign-policy Republican” but that no such option exists. He pledged to work within the GOP to keep it centrist on Israel while continuing to press Democrats to change course.

No immediate comment was available from Democratic Party officials. Republican leaders have not yet responded publicly to the announcement.

Dershowitz’s move caps a political evolution that began after the 2024 election cycle. Though he has criticized both major parties in the past, his decision to formally join the GOP marks a sharp break with the party of his youth.