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Revision as of 23:56, 8 December 2006
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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 |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Political Science |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date | 14 November 2006 |
| Publication place | United States of America |
| 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. 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.”
Criticism
Leading Democrats
In particular, Democrats distanced themselves 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."
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."
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.” 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."
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.
Other commentators
Alan Dershowitz, professor of law at Harvard University and author of several books on the Arab-Israeli conflict, has pointed out a number of factual inaccuracies in Carter's book, including a claim that "Israel launche preemptive attacks on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and then Jordan" in the 1967 Six-Day War. As Dershowitz points out, "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. Writing in the New York Sun Dershowitz states:
" 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.... Mr. Carter's book is so filled with simple mistakes of fact and deliberate omissions that were it a brief filed in a court of law, it would be struck and its author sanctioned for misleading the court. Mr. Carter too is guilty of misleading the court of public opinion."
See also
References
- ^ Siegel, Jennifer. "Dems Repudiate Carter Book." Forward.com. 27 October 2006. 3 December 2006
- ^ ---. "Carter Book Slaps Israel With ‘Apartheid’ Tag, Provides Ammo to GOP." Forward.com. 17 October 2006. 3 December 2006.
- p. 5
- ^ Dershowitz, Alan (2006-11-22). "The World According to Carter". New York Sun. Retrieved 2 December.
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