Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
by Jimmy Carter

Book description from Simon & Schuster (the publisher):

Following his #1 New York Times bestseller, Our Endangered Values, the former president, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, offers an assessment of what must be done to bring permanent peace to Israel with dignity and justice to 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. He has stayed in touch with the major players from all sides in the conflict and has made numerous trips to the Holy Land, most recently as an observer in the Palestinian elections of 2005 and 2006.

In this book President Carter shares his intimate knowledge of the history of the Middle East and his personal experiences with the principal actors, and he addresses sensitive political issues many American officials avoid. Pulling no punches, Carter prescribes steps that must be taken for the two states to share the Holy Land without a system of apartheid or the constant fear of terrorism.

The general parameters of a long-term, two-state agreement are well known, the president writes. There will be no substantive and permanent peace for any peoples in this troubled region as long as Israel is violating key U.N. resolutions, official American policy, and the international "road map" for peace by occupying Arab lands and oppressing the Palestinians. Except for mutually agreeable negotiated modifications, Israel's official pre-1967 borders must be honored. As were all previous administrations since the founding of Israel, U.S. government leaders must be in the forefront of achieving this long-delayed goal of a just agreement that both sides can honor.

Palestine Peace Not Apartheid is a challenging, provocative, and courageous book.

Reviews
Hard limits and long-observed taboos, by Ali Abunimah
Pro-Israel Censorship Hurts Us All, by George Bisharat
Blind "New York Times" Continues Attacks on Jimmy Carter, by Patrick O'Connor

Related Links
An excerpt from the book (Chapter 17 - Summary)
The Carter Center
The Iron Wall (documentary film recommended by Pres. Carter)

Palestine Online Store's view on this book
Palestine Online Store appreciates President Jimmy Carter's efforts and sympathy with the Palestinian cause, and we are grateful for the enormous dialogue resulting from this book, and its success in opening so many eyes in the U.S. However, we have the following reservations about the book's content:

1. While Carter talks about Apartheid in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip only, the fact is that it is practised within the State of Israel too, where racism against Israel's Palestinians is abundant. Since Israel views itself as "a Jewish state," this is very indicative of the state's policy of racism and discrimination against non-Jews. Jewish citizens enjoy full access to civic, political, economic, and welfare rights and resources, whereas Israeli citizens of Palestinian descent are relegated to lower status. Non-Jews, identified as such on their identification cards, are not allowed to own land in most of the country, and although they are subject to the same tax rates as Jews, non-Jewish areas receive much less of the State's expenditure.

2. The two-state solution that Carter advocates is not a fair or feasible solution. A Palestinian state, in the best case scenario (now being made impossible by the Wall), would comprise of an uncontiguous 22% of historic Palestine, with Israel dominating all aspects of such a "state," including borders, airspace, water, imports, et cetera. This would not be a state but, rather, a reservation with municipal privileges. We believe that the only true solution is one state with equal rights for all its inhabitants, as well as the implementation of the right of return of the Palestinian refugees and their descendants. For peace to last, it must be based on justice.

Nonetheless, we think this is an excellent book that has done a lot to raise the American public's awareness about Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people, and we applaude and appreciate President Jimmy Carter's noble efforts and desire for peace in Palestine, and his courage in presenting a view that is always suppressed in a country that claims free speech.