Harvard law professor and lawyer Alan Dershowitz has labeled former President Jimmy Carter a coward for refusing to debate him over Carter's controversial new book.

Carter will visit Brandeis University to discuss his book on Palestine but won't debate academic Dershowitz as originally proposed.

Will You Read Book?

"It's the height of cowardice," said Dershowitz. "He released this book saying he wanted to spark a debate and now he refuses to do just that."

In an opinion piece in the Boston Globe Dershowitz also called Carter a "hypocrite" for telling Brandies officials he would not debate Dershowitz.

He also wrote, "Jimmy Carter isn't brave for beating up on Israel. He's a bully."

A Carter spokeswoman and university officials say Carter will speak for about 15 minutes and then answer questions for 45 minutes during the visit, tentatively scheduled for January 23.

Some students and faculty had objected when the speaking invitation to Carter, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, suggested the debate with Dershowitz, a Harvard Law professor who has disparaged the book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." They said Carter should be invited to campus without conditions.

Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said Carter looks forward to the opportunity to having a dialogue with everyone at Brandeis. She said Carter has set no conditions and would answer as many questions as possible.

Congileo said the visit to the campus at the Waltham, Massachusetts campus of Brandeis will be Carter's first to a university to discuss the book.

Brandeis is a nonsectarian university founded by the American Jewish community. About half its students are Jewish.