Expresident carter to visit israel next week the times. Have you read former president carters new book palestine. President jimmy carter right with israeli prime minister menachem begin, march 1978 chuck fishmangetty images president carter. Former us president jimmy carter, a frequent and caustic critic of israel, joined a host of others this week in trying to lobby us president barack obama to take one final, dramatic step on the. But all this pales in significance when compared to carters special animus for israel. As a result, various online antisemitic forums have hailed carters book in diatribes laced with antisemitic invective. From left, president anwar sadat of egypt, prime minister menachem begin of israel and president jimmy carter of the united states in 1978 during the white house announcement of. Subsequently, carter established a presidents commission on the holocaust, chaired by elie wiesel, which eventually led to the opening of the holocaust museum in 1993.
He follows carter s passing of americas first comprehensive energy policy, and his deregulation of the oil, gas, transportation, and communications industries. But his goal palestine peace not apartheid is a most worthy goal. I chose to follow the book by the newest biography of jimmy carter president carter. Israels apartheid policies worse than south africas. It is a great shame that cardozo law school will be giving an award to the former u. The crowning achievement of jimmy carters presidency was the camp david accords between israel and egypt, and he has continued his public and private diplomacy. Instead, he simply offers a narrative that is largely unsympathetic to israel. Some white supremacists in the united states have embraced the message of carters book, pointing to criticism by supporters of israel as confirmation of their antisemitic notions of jewish power. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. After all, the usa has been israels greatest benefactor since the jewish state was recognized by president truman.
How jimmy carter brokered a hardwon peace deal between. But critics of the former president probably will be most offended by his use of the word apartheid in the books title and text. He has done this nation, and the cause of peace, an enormous service by focusing attention on what he calls the abominable oppression and persecution in the occupied palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required passes and strict segregation between palestine. Carter book slaps israel with apartheid tag, provides. Carl brown, foreign affairs a provocative and all too accurate diagnosis of why the israelipalestinian. Bush, for example, last week had some strong words in reaction to fellow expresident carters public criticism of president barack obamas mideast policies. Peace not apartheid charts the arabisraeli peace process from. On tuesday night in phoenix, after signings and interviews to promote his new book, palestine peace not apartheid, president jimmy carter made a.
Eizenstat reveals the grueling negotiations behind carter s peace between israel and egypt, what led to the return of the panama canal, and how carter made human rights a presidential imperative. Such carter accomplishments as camp david, the panama canal treaty, alaska lands and formal recognition of. A new book by former president jimmy carter is generating wide controversy. The book is an authoritative accounting about president carters human rights agenda, the egyptisrael peace negotiations, panama canal negotiations, the soviets slog in afghanistan, the iranian. Since he left office in 1981, former president jimmy carter has continued to work for peace. Carter s diplomatic efforts in the middle east included a september 1981 meeting with prime minister of israel menachem begin, a march 1983 tour of egypt that included meeting with members of the palestine liberation organization, a december 2008 meeting with syrian president. Atlanta ap former us president jimmy carter will travel to egypt and israel next week, where he will advocate for a twostate solution to the israelipalestinian conflict. Simon and schuster, 2006 by former president jimmy carter has been highly controversial and attracted a wide range of commentary.
Rethinking jimmy carter itamar rabinovich the blogs. Peace not apartheid, is interviewed from his home in plains, georgia. Since leaving the presidency, carter has remained active in. Despite its provocative title, jimmy carters book, palestine.
President carter, who was able to negotiate peace between israel and egypt, has remained deeply involved in middle east affairs since leaving the white house. The book is an authoritative accounting about president carter s human rights agenda, the egypt israel peace negotiations, panama canal negotiations, the soviets slog in afghanistan, the iranian revolution, the fight to free soviet jewry, and stories about how and why carter missed out on a second term. Carter has gone even beyond the errors of his book in interviews, in which he has said that the situation in israel is worse than the crimes committed in apartheid south africa. Carter may thus be said to be both a source for the historian and himself a historian of the israelipalestinian confrontation. The israeli and israel focused reader will find in the book numerous other details and issues of great interest, from carters iranian debacle to his bizarre fascination with bashar alassad. Israels academic enemies, led by professors stephen walt and john mearsheimer, who would accuse supporters of israel of dual loyalty and indeed disloyalty to america. Carter also supported and signed legislation to ban u. In 2006 the former president said that israels policies in the west bank were actually worse than. In the course of the books approximately 250 pages, carter details israels activities in the occupied palestinian territories, and how they form the primary. Israel is blamed for everything, the arabs are whitewashed. The definitive history of the carter administration from the man who participated in its surprising number of accomplishmentsdrawing on his extensive and neverbeforeseen notes.
Former us president jimmy carter was recently scheduled to visit israel, gaza and the west bank for the purpose of mediating the stalled. I have just completed reading when the center held by donald rumsfeld about the presidency of gerald ford. Peace not apartheid is a new york times best seller book written by jimmy carter, 39th president of the united states 19771981 and laureate of the 2002 nobel peace prize. Carters assertions that proisrael lobbyists have stifled debate in the united states over the israelipalestinian conflict.
Peace not apartheid, provides a balanced look at the israelipalestinian conflict. Which best describes the overall effect of president carters actions in response to the soviet invasion of afghanistan. Jimmy carter apologizes for mistake in book brandeisnow. When asked whether he believed that israels persecution of palestinians was even worse. President carter has a split legacy in the jewish community, but we should remember the difference he made for israel and observant american jews. Washington fourteen members of a leadership group under former president carters think tank resigned thursday over concerns that carters book on the middle east does not represent the jimmy. Former president stands by new book despite criticism, says it is meant to stimulate debate in u.
Rabbi marvin hier of the simonwiesenthalcenter has said that carters book is blatantly onesided and unbecoming of a former president. The documentary man from plains 2007 explores carters postwhite house role in the israelipalestinian conflict. The problem is that in this book jimmy carter does not do so. Two members of congress have been publicly critical. A palestinian view of jimmy carters book the electronic. President carters book palestine peace not apartheid makes it abundantly clear that america has failed in that task rather miserably. In addition to hamas, which provoked the recent war and gaza with its rocket attacks on israeli civilians, alan dershowtiz argues that israels most dangerous enemies include jimmy carter and other western leaders who would delegitimize israel as an apartheid regime subject to the same fate as white south africans.
Barack obama is bad for israel, especially after the iran nuclear deal. A member of the democratic party, he previously served as a georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th governor of georgia from 1971 to 1975. President carter thinks hamas has already changed for some, firing thousands of rockets at israel and operating a network of hidden tunnels constitutes proof. Jews still planning to sue jimmy carter over antiisrael book. The white house years is an epic biography and firstclass administrative history of our vastly underrated 39th president. After jimmy carter became president, he moved beyond long and firm support for israel rooted in his belief in biblical christianity to sympathy and support for the palestinians and other arabs, according to his top adviser in those years. President carter helped israel and american jews the forward. Carter said, is that the conflict in israel will become. To break the impasse, carter invited egypts president anwar elsadat and israels prime minister menachem begin to a summit at camp david, sequestering them. President carter has done what few american politicians have dared to do. The only american president they despise more, arguably, is. Former president jimmy carter, author of a new book, palestine. In the book, carter sifts through the pages of history and presents the story of the land of israel in a concise, accessible account.
Peace not apartheid, is devoted to circumstances and events in palestine and not in israel, where democracy prevails. The reception of the book has itself raised further controversy, occasioning carters own subsequent responses to such criticism. Jimmy carter palestine peace not apartheid books report the. He responds to a caller who asks questions concerning pressure put on the us political system and the resulting support of israel. Stuart eizenstat was at jimmy carters side from his political rise in georgia through four years in the white house, where he served as chief domestic policy adviser. President carter focused on creating peace between israel and egypt because he hoped it would. Former president and international peace activist jimmy carter is urging the u. Israeli prime minister menahem begin with egyptian president anwar sadat and president jimmy carter during their peace talks on september 6, 1978 at the presidential retreat of camp david in maryland. Jimmy carter was the 39th president of the united states and was later awarded the nobel peace prize in 2002.
1445 201 641 1266 1112 4 148 481 996 175 178 1130 585 438 543 611 1071 307 1227 325 1260 535 294 1469 1449 980 334 709 353 1052 1186 173 1456 1251 477 523 656