Jimmy Carter, Washington Post, January 18:
I am concerned that public discussion of my book “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid” has been diverted from the book’s basic proposals: that peace talks be resumed after six years of delay and that the tragic persecution of Palestinians be ended. Although most critics have not seriously disputed or even mentioned the facts and suggestions about these two issues, an apparently concerted campaign has been focused on the book’s title, combined with allegations that I am anti-Israel. This is not good for any of us who are committed to Israel’s status as a peaceful nation living in harmony with its neighbors.
It is encouraging that President Bush has announced that peace in the Holy Land will be a high priority for his administration during the next two years. On her current trip to the region, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called for an early U.S.-Israeli-Palestinian meeting. She has recommended the 2002 offer of the 23 Arab nations as a foundation for peace: full recognition of Israel based on a return to its internationally recognized borders. This offer is compatible with official U.S. policy, previous agreements approved by Israeli governments in 1978 and 1993, and the “road map” for peace developed by the “quartet” (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations).
The clear fact is that Israel will never find peace until it is willing to withdraw from its neighboring occupied territories and permit the Palestinians to exercise their basic human and political rights. With land swaps, this “green line” can be modified through negotiations to let a substantial number of Israeli settlers remain in their subsidized homes east of the internationally recognized border. The premise of exchanging Arab territory for peace has been acceptable for several decades to a majority of Israelis but not to a minority of the more conservative leaders, who are unfortunately supported by most of the vocal American Jewish community.
Apartheid continues, of course, though intriguingly, relations between the US and Israel may be more strained than we think. Maybe Israel hasn’t killed enough Arabs for Washington’s liking.
Carter is deluded. Those who have written favourable reviews of his book have done so as they see Carter as “compassionate” a supporter of the poor persectuted Palestinians and so on. I have yet to read a favourable review from a knowledgable reviewer who bases his/her support on Carter’s historiographic probity.
On the other hand, the book’s critics have surgically and devastatingly proven the book is a collosal hoax; riddled with historical lies and a bizarre ignorance about the Clinton-brokered 2000 Accords. I have read such reviews from people of all political persuasions and attitudes towards the issue; not just your dreadeed cabal of evil Zionists!
Those who applaud this book should hang their heads in shame. Support the Pals and hate the Jews all you like, but do not expect to be taken seriously if the lies you use to justify your position are exposed to the world.
You take intellectual dishonesty to new lows Viva. Notice you have had no comment to make on the growing number of Israeli commentators now adopting the term apartheid to describe their own society. It is the special virulence that you and the critics of this book reserve for even the mildest critics of Israel that is so revealing.
The apartheid carried out by Israel in Palestine is actually becoming much worse than the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Although the South African police state was armed to the teeth, somehow the bantustans, fragmented and balkanised as they were, were populated by workers required by the white regime in order for it to be able to function as an industrial entity.
Israel has acted in such a way that it is starving the Palestinians to genocide levels, fragmenting the West Bank and Gaza to unworkable entities, and importing “guest” workers from African and other countries, and treats them even worse than black workers were treated in apartheid South Africa.
I have not read Jimmy Carter’s book, and don’t know what it contains, but if his comments, as reported in this article, are anything to go by, then Carter is seriously deluded if he thinks Israel has any intention of taking any notice of Condoleeza Rice and her president. The “road map” never really existed and is a joke! well, tragedy really, because it seems to have fooled so many people so much of the time.
So True Suze,
Our resident Bubble Boy, Viva, proves time and time again that he resides in an increasingly isolated world.
Carter’s critics are just the usual suspects who scream indignation when any criticism of Israel is raised in public, and far from contradicting Caters analysis, have only served to draw further attention to his book, thus helping it to become a best seller (thank you Allan Derschowitz).
It is truly farcical when such shills feign moral outrage at the mention of apartheid when outlets like Haaretz and B’Tselem openly use such terms to describe the status quo.
The new power given to the fascist supremacist, Lieberman, only further underscores how detached from reality Carter’s critics are.
It is the Zionist apologists and shills who should hang their heads in shame. Only is their deranged world does supporting the Palestinians mean having to hate Jews. It is clear why this is the case. People like Viva know very well how indefensible their position is, that their only recourse is to see to it that the enough noise and distractions are in place so that the debate on the issue never takes place.
Viva recognizes that his own ideas on this subject are so poorly thought out and unworkable and not very sensible, and aren’t up for a beating. Their not fooling anybody by putting their noses in the air and pretending that the terms of engagement are unfair or being dealt with dishonestly.
On Dis-Honest Reporting the site author responds to a commenter on his latest post with a series of quotes from prominent israeli’s including this one from Yeshayahu Leibowitz in 1973: “We have not been seeking peace for twenty-five years — all declarations to that effect have been no more than coloured statements or deliberate lies. There is of course no assurance that we could have made peace with the Arabs if we had wanted to. However, it has to be heavily emphasized that we have not only made no attempts to seek peace, but have deliberately and with premeditation, sabotaged every possibility of doing so.”
(I think this has been quoted here before but it bears repeating)
The game plan does not seem to have changed very much in 58 years does it, but then it has worked so well until now.
Fascinating quotes Suze,
Need we be reminded by of what Dov Weisglass said a few years back, when he revealed that Sharon’s policy was to put the peace process into formaldehyde?
Here though is an excellent essay I came across. ti gives a marvelous account of how the critics Viva holds is such high esteem have only served to shoot themselves in the foot. According to these zealots, to criticise Israel is to deny it’s right to exist. So in fact, the message is that Israel’s existence is conditional upon it’s ability to commit the human rights violations.
And yet, Viva soils himself in public by suggesting it is Carter and those who agree with him that should hang their heads in shame. I hate to use cliche, but how truly Orwellian.
http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/459