Jimmy Carter, the Palestinians, and Apartheid

Jimmy Carter has been roundly criticized for his recently published book on the Palestinian issue. The book's title uses the inflammatory term -- apartheid. This word conjures in our minds the racial policies of the former White rule in South Africa. Carter has written an open letter to the Jewish community in America clarifying his use of the term and insisting he has no ill will toward Israel. A group of Rabbis from Phoenix who had informed Carter that they would protest his appearance at a book signing, invited him to discuss the book and its charges in person. In his letter he clarifies his use of the term:

We discussed the word "apartheid," which I defined as the forced segregation of two peoples living in the same land, with one of them dominating and persecuting the other. I made clear in the book's text and in my response to the rabbis that the system of apartheid in Palestine is not based on racism but the desire of a minority of Israelis for Palestinian land and the resulting
suppression of protests that involve violence. Bishop Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and prominent Israelis, including former attorney general Ben Yair, who served under both Labor and Likud prime ministers, have used and explained the appellation in harsher terms than I, pointing out that this cruel oppression is contrary to the tenets of the Jewish faith and the basic principles of the nation of Israel.

Carter makes clear again he does not believe apartheid is practiced within Israel proper, only within the occupied territories, mainly as a way of aiding the settler movement, a movement that is a thorn in the side of any real progress within Palestinian territory.

Whether one agrees with Carter or not, hopefully he's raised the issue in a way that will move peace talks along. As Americans our own interests are affected by this ongoing conflict. As Christians we affirm our Jewish parentage and recognize too that we have Christian coreligionists among the Palestinians. A week from tomorrow we will celebrate Christmas Eve, but Bethlehem is essentially cut off from the outside world. Not much merriness there.

In concluding his letter Carter makes a statement that I hope we can all affirm:

I have spent a great deal of my adult life trying to bring peace to Israel, and my own prayer is that all of us who want to see Israelis enjoy permanent peace with their neighbors join in this common effort.

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