Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
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| Cover showing the author, left, and protesters at the Israeli West Bank barrier, right | |
| Author | Jimmy Carter |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | Michael Accordino |
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Political Science |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Released | 14 November 2006 |
| Media Type | Hardback |
| Pages | 264 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7432-8502-5 |
| Preceded by | Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis |
Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid is a controversial book written by Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. Carter believes that "Israel's continued control and colonization of Palestinian land have been the primary obstacles to a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land."[1]
The book claims that Israel’s current policies in the Palestinian territories constitute “a system of apartheid, with two peoples occupying the same land but completely separated from each other, with Israelis totally dominant and suppressing violence by depriving Palestinians of their basic human rights.”[2]
Contents |
Summary of contents
Carter identifies two main obstacles to peace:[1]
- Some Israelis believe they have the right to confiscate and colonize Palestinian land and try to justify the sustained subjugation and persecution of increasingly hopeless and aggravated Palestinians; and
- Some Palestinians react by honoring suicide bombers as martyrs to be rewarded in heaven and consider the killing of Israelis as victories.
To bring an end to "this continuing tragedy"[1], Carter argues the peace process must be revitalized. Carter identifies the following key requirements:
- The security of Israel must be guaranteed. [...] There is little doubt that accommodation with Palestinians can bring full Arab recognition of Israel.[1]
- The internal debate within Israel must be resolved in order to define Israel's permanent legal boundary. The unwavering official policy of the United States since Israel became a state has been that its borders must coincide with those prevailing from 1949 until 1967 (unless modified by mutually agreeable land swaps), specified in the unanimously adopted U.N. Resolution 242, which mandates Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories. [...] Also, as a member of the International Quartet that includes Russia, the United Nations, and the European Union, America supports the Roadmap for Peace, which espouses exactly the same requirements. Palestinian leaders unequivocally accepted this proposal, but Israel has officially rejected its key provisions with unacceptable caveats and prerequisites.[1]
- The sovereignty of all Middle East nations and sanctity of international borders must be honored. [...] In order to perpetuate the occupation, Israeli forces have deprived their unwilling subjects of basic human rights. No objective person could personally observe existing conditions in the West Bank and dispute these statements.[1]
Praise
In an article in The Nation, Michael F. Brown characterized the book's title as "extraordinarily bold--and apt".[3] He also suggests, "Perhaps President Carter should send copies of his book to members of Congress [...] they might learn a thing or two about the long-festering conflict at the heart of so many of our current troubles in the region."
Writing for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, John Dugard points out[4] that Carter's book "is igniting controversy for its allegation that Israel practices a form of apartheid." Dugard supports Carter's analysis, concluding that "Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories has many features of colonization. At the same time it has many of the worst characteristics of apartheid."
Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, writing for the Institute for Middle East Understanding, argued that Carter's book "eloquently describes the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip [...] his book challenges Americans to see the conflict with eyes wide open."[5]
Sherri Muzher, director of Michigan Media Watch, argued that "Nobody expects instant miracles to come from Carter’s book, but hopefully, it will spark the sort of robust discussions that even Israeli society and media already engage in".[6]
Brad Hooper, writing for the American Library Association, said Carter "posits that the stumbling blocks to a lasting cessation of armed conflict are to be found within two contexts: Israel's unwillingness to comply with international law and honor its previous peace commitments, and Arab nations' refusal to openly acknowledge Israel's right to live undisturbed" and describes Carter's approach as representing "a personal point of view, but one that is certainly grounded in both knowledge and wisdom." [7]
Rabbi Michael Lerner in Berkeley, California, calls[8] Carter "the only president to have actually delivered for the Jewish people an agreement (the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt) that has stood the test of time" and continues "We know that critique is often an essential part of love and caring. That is precisely what Jimmy Carter is trying to do for Israel and the Jewish people in his new book". He further stresses that "Carter does not claim that Israel is an apartheid state. What he does claim is that the West Bank will be a de facto apartheid situation if the current dynamics [...] continue."
Publishers Weekly said, "Carter's book provides a fine overview for those unfamiliar with the history of the conflict and lays out an internationally accepted blueprint for peace." The book has received 4 1/2 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com and has been reviewed by over 200 customers.
Criticism
Politicians
Before it was published, some Democrats moved to distance their party from the former Democratic President's book prior to the November 2006 mid-term election.
On 30 October, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, and House Minority Leader and soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated that the book does not represent their views on Israel.
"While I have tremendous respect for former President Carter, I fundamentally disagree and do not support his analysis of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Dean's statement said, "On this issue President Carter speaks for himself, the opinions in his book are his own, they are not the views or position of the Democratic Party. I and other Democrats will continue to stand with Israel in its battle against terrorism and for a lasting peace with its neighbors."[2]
Pelosi wrote: "It is wrong to suggest that the Jewish people would support a government in Israel or anywhere else that institutionalizes ethnically based oppression, and Democrats reject that allegation vigorously. With all due respect to former President Carter, he does not speak for the Democratic Party on Israel."[2]
U.S. Representatives Steve Israel, Charlie Rangel, Jerrold Nadler, and John Conyers, Jr. also released statements critical of the book. "I cannot agree with the book’s title and its implications about apartheid," Conyers wrote, "I recently called the former president to express my concerns about the title of the book, and to request that the title be changed.”[2] Congressman Israel said, "The reason for the Palestinian plight is the Palestinians. Their leadership has no regard for the quality of life for their people and no capability of providing security or enforcing peace, and they have no one to blame but themselves.” He also added that the "book clearly does not reflect the direction of the party; it reflects the opinion of one man."[9]
Aaron Miller, a former State Department official who has consistently advocated a greater American role in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, said that Carter’s book would not influence key decision makers in the administration. But he added, "the one thing that I assure you is that Carter’s book will be read" by a wider audience.[9]
Other commentators
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz, a professor of law at Harvard University, vocal supporter of Israel and author of several books on the Arab-Israeli conflict, has alleged that there are factual inaccuracies in Carter's book, including its claim that "Israel launche[d] preemptive attacks on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and then Jordan"[10] in the 1967 Six-Day War. Dershowitz argues that on the contrary, "the fact is that Jordan attacked Israel first, Israel tried desperately to persuade Jordan to remain out of the war, and Israel counterattacked after the Jordanian army surrounded Jerusalem, firing missiles into the center of the city."[11]
In an op-ed for the New York Sun Dershowitz also attacked the book for invoking South African apartheid, and argued that Carter was not sufficiently forthcoming about intending the parallel in a qualified sense:
"[Carter's] use of the loaded word 'apartheid,' suggesting an analogy to the hated policies of South Africa, is especially outrageous, considering his acknowledgment buried near the end of his shallow and superficial book that what is going on in Israel today 'is unlike that in South Africa—not racism, but the acquisition of land'.""[11]
Carter's Response
Carter responded to accusations of factual inaccuracies by saying that his book was fact-checked by Carter Center staff as well as by an unnamed "distinguished" reporter. [12] Carter further defended his harsh criticism of Israeli policy, saying he hopes to tear down the "impenetrable wall" that stops the American people from seeing the plight of Palestinians. In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Carter acknowledged Dershowitz's criticisms directly and wrote, "Out in the real world, however, the response has been overwhelmingly positive." [13]
Response to criticism
In an article in the Los Angeles Times, Carter argued that "Book reviews in the mainstream media have been written mostly by representatives of Jewish organizations who would be unlikely to visit the occupied territories, and their primary criticism is that the book is anti-Israel."[14] In the same article, Carter wrote that "many controversial issues concerning Palestine and the path to peace for Israel are intensely debated among Israelis and throughout other nations — but not in the United States [...] This reluctance to criticize any policies of the Israeli government is because of the extraordinary lobbying efforts of the American-Israel Political Action Committee and the absence of any significant contrary voices." He reasserted his belief in the validity of the book's title by writing that "An enormous imprisonment wall is now under construction, snaking through what is left of Palestine to encompass more and more land for Israeli settlers. In many ways, this is more oppressive than what blacks lived under in South Africa during apartheid."
Carter argues that his purpose in writing the book was to "present facts about the Middle East that are largely unknown in America, to precipitate discussion and to help restart peace talks (now absent for six years) that can lead to permanent peace for Israel and its neighbors."
Controversy
Resignation of Kenneth Stein
Kenneth W. Stein, a professor of Middle Eastern history and Israeli studies at Emory University and former Carter aide, resigned from his position as a fellow at the Carter Center following the book's publication. Stein had served as the center's first executive director and founded its Middle East program.[15] In Stein's resignation letter, which he released to the press, Stein said:
- "President Carter's book on the Middle East, a title too inflammatory to even print, is not based on unvarnished analysis; it is replete with factual errors, copied materials not cited, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments."
- "Aside from the one-sided nature of the book, meant to provoke, there are recollections cited from meetings where I was the third person in the room, and my notes of those meetings show little similarity to points claimed in the book."
- "Being a former President does not give one a unique privilege to invent information or to unpack it with cuts, deftly slanted to provide a particular outlook. Having little access to Arabic and Hebrew sources, I believe, clearly handicapped his understanding and analyses of how history has unfolded over the last decade."[16]
Stein did not point to specific errors in Carter's book, but claimed that "in due course, I shall detail these points and reflect on their origins."[17] Publisher David Rosenthal of Simon & Schuster, who published the book, responded directly to Stein's statement: "We haven't seen these allegations, we haven't seen any specifics, and I have no way of assessing anything he [Stein] has said…. This is all about nothing. We stand behind the book fully, and the fact that there has been a divided reaction to it is not surprising." [18] Since making his original statement, Stein has pointed to specific parts of the book that he sees as problematic, such as maps he believes were not properly attributed to another Middle East scholar, Ambassador Dennis Ross.
Carter also responded to Stein, saying that Stein had not played a role in the Carter Center in 13 years and that his post as a fellow was an honorary title. Carter further confirmed Stein's own acknowledgment that he had played no role in Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, saying, "When I decided to write this book, I didn't even think about involving Ken, from ancient times, to come in and help." [19]
Although Carter praised Stein in his response to the latter's resignation, according to Carter biographer Douglas Brinkley, Stein and Carter have a "passionate, up-and-down relationship", and Stein has criticized statements Carter has made about Israel in the past. [20]
Alleged misattribution of maps from Ambassador Dennis Ross
On 2006-12-08 allegations surfaced that maps used in Palestine: Peace not Apartheid were similar to maps previously published in The Missing Peace. The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace, a memoir written by Ambassador Dennis Ross, the United States' chief Middle East envoy during the Clinton administration. Carter's book never attributed the maps to Ross and the former President stated he had "never seen" Ross' book and that the maps "came from an atlas that's publicly available" (specifically, a firm called the Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem). [21] Appearing on CNN's The Situation Room, hosted by Wolf Blitzer, Ross responded "...I looked at the maps and the maps he uses are maps that are drawn basically from my book. There's no other way they could -- even if he says they come from another place. They came originally from my book."[21]
Ross went on to argue that Carter's interpretation of the maps was "just simply wrong."[21] According to Ross, who played a key role in shaping the Clinton administration's efforts to bring peace to the region, Carter presented the maps as an "Israeli interpretation of the Clinton idea", when in fact the maps represented Clinton's proposals exactly.[21] Responding to a question posed by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, Ross argued that Carter was also "wrong" to suggest that Israel had rejected the American proposals at Camp David, stating: "this is a matter of record. This is not a matter of interpretation." [21]
Ross concluded by saying "President Carter made a major contribution to peace in the Middle East. That's the reality... I would like him to meet the same standard that he applied then to what he's doing now."[21]
See also
External Links
- Excerpt via abcnews.go.com
References
- ^ a b c d e f Excerpt: Carter's 'Palestine Peace Not Apartheid', ABC News
- ^ a b c d Jennifer Siegel. "Dems Repudiate Carter Book", Forward.com, 27 October 2006.
- ^ "Dems Rebut Carter on Israeli 'Apartheid'", The Nation, November 20, 2006.
- ^ Israelis adopt what South Africa dropped, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, November 29, 2006.
- ^ "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, by Jimmy Carter", Institute for Middle East Understanding, November 15, 2006.
- ^ "Peace, not apartheid", Jordan Times, December 3, 2006.
- ^ Bookreview, American Library Association.
- ^ Thank You, Jimmy Carter, Tom Paine, December 6, 2005.
- ^ a b Jennifer Siegel. "Carter Book Slaps Israel With 'Apartheid' Tag, Provides Ammo to GOP", Forward.com, 17 October 2006.
- ^ p. 5
- ^ a b Dershowitz, Alan (2006-11-22). The World According to Carter. New York Sun. Retrieved on 2 December 2006.
- ^ Associated Press (2006-12-08). Former President Jimmy Carter defends his book's criticism of Israeli policy. Boston Examiner. Retrieved on 9 December 2006.
- ^ Carter, Jimmy (2006-12-08). Speaking frankly about Israel and Palestine. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 9 December 2006.
- ^ Jimmy Carter. "Speaking frankly about Israel and Palestine (editorial)", Los Angeles Times, December 8, 2006.
- ^ Associated Press. "President Carter's New Book Spurs Aide To Resign", The New York Sun, December 8, 2006.
- ^ Stein, Kenneth. "FOX Facts: Dr. Kenneth W. Stein's Letter", FOX News (Reprint of original letter), 2006-12-07. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
- ^ Carter Book on Israel 'Apartheid' Sparks Bitter Debate, Washington Post, December 7, 2006.
- ^ Getlin, Josh (2006-12-08). Maps in Carter's book are questioned. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 9 December 2006.
- ^ Associated Press (2006-12-08). Former President Jimmy Carter defends his book's criticism of Israeli policy. Boston Examiner. Retrieved on 9 December 2006.
- ^ Boone, Christian (2006-12-06). Adviser breaks with Carter on Mideast book. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved on 9 December 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f "Dennis Ross Interview." The Situation Room. Wolf Blitzer. CNN, Atlanta, GA. 2006-12-08
