Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

With a recent trip to Jordan under my belt, I became interested in untangling the morass of information surrounding the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. In that spirit, I picked up Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, by Jimmy Carter and having just finished it, wanted to share these few comments about the book:

• Carter has had over 3 decades of frequent and direct contact both the leaders and everyday people on both sides, creating a rich and well informed perspective on the situation.
• He does an excellent job presenting the context of the conflict, walking readers through the region's history, players, and political dynamics, and flavoring each with interesting anecdotes.
• He has a strong and informed point of view on the reasons why agreements have failed and what needs to be done to bring peace to the region.

Particularly compelling are the descriptions of everyday life for millions of Palestinians who have lost their homes. I fear the U.S. media focus on cross-border attacks has overshadowed the desperate plight of those refugees, and Carter does an excellent job bringing our eyes back into focus.

Comments

[Fantasy Writer Guy]

Wow. This actually sounds useful - unlike commentary on political conflict from almost any other source - especially mainstream media. Sounds like a good find.

[Kytari]

I have been in Israel since last Saturday. I return to the States tonight.

By the way, I read the Russian Debutante's Handbook as well. Interesting read.

[Heida]

Hi Kytari - I'd be curious to hear how you are finding things in Israel.

Does a typical walk down the street show any signs of the stress in the region, or do things feel fairly normalized?

I'm sure it depends on the area you're in, but I'd be curious to hear about any experiences!

- Heida

[Heida]

Hi FWG -- yes, it was a great find!

Overall, I tend to rely less and less on mainstream media for news. An unfortunate bias and overly superficial treatment of key issues has definitely driven me to find better sources of information.

Cheers,

- Heida

[Ed Darrell]

Carter took serious hits from people for his view -- at one point he mentioned Israeli "apartheid" -- including denouncements from former allies and resignations from the staff at the Carter Peace Center.

I would be very interested in your views once you finish the book, and then take a few minutes to read the criticisms.

It seems to me that we should have built colleges similar to the American University in Beirut, in the refugee camps, to be sure that, however the refugee situation is settled, once its settled the Palestinians are ready and able to push on to technological development of their economy and, some of us hope, a democratic style of government.

It's not too late. Ignoring the plight of the refugees is a great tragedy of the past four generations of Americans.

[Heida]

Hi Ed - Thanks very much for your message.

I did finish the book and was actually aware of the criticisms against Carter even before I read it. This is part of what interested me most about the book!

As one of the few presidents to help the region make tangible, forward progress, Carter earned great credibility in my mind as a voice for the issues and opportunities in the region.

In reading his book, I found that his perspective, while unpopular, was well supported and thoughtful, and I appreciated that he had the strength to raise a voice with a viewpoint that was sure to draw criticism.

Cheers,

- Heida

[Kytari]

I returned a last Tueday. I still need to write about the trip and post pictures. We had armed guards when we went to Jerusalem and Jaffa (company policy). After the training I went by motorcycle around the Dead Sea and to Masada with one of my Israeli colleagues. The only time he was a little nervous was when we passed Jericho. Most of the time I was in the Tel Aviv area. While it seemed very safe, he made a point to tell me that it still a very unstable place. People are always prepared for the worst.