Upping the Ante: Jimmy Carter and the "A" Word

Former President Jimmy Carter's new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" is igniting controversy for its allegation that Israel practices a form of apartheid. Commentators who value relationships with the mainstream Jewish community have carefully stayed away from the "A" word. Although Mr. Carter has demonstrated over the years that he is a friend of Israel, with the word Apartheid appearing on the title of the book, he is clearly raising the ante. If his book leads to a public discussion on the question, it'll be interesting to see if it changes the vocabulary of the conversation.

Yesterday's Atlanta Journal Constitution ran an opinion piece by South African law professor teaching in the Netherlands. John Duggard is currently Special Rapporteur (reporter) on Palestine to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Read the article here.

In his new book, Jimmy Carter writes, "Israel's continued control and colonization of Palestinian land have been the primary obstacles to a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land." An interview with Carter was broadcast on Democracy Now today. You can read or listen to the interview here.