Jimmy Carter Issues Letter to Jewish Community on Palestine Peace Not Apartheid

[oberliner]

A letter to Jewish citizens of America

During my recent book tour I signed more than 100,000 books and was interviewed on 100 news media outlets.* The high point for me was a meeting with leaders of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix, who announced before my arrival that they would demonstrate against my book. When they invited me to meet with them, I accepted immediately. The six rabbis (three men and three women) and I were the only ones present except for a camera crew under the direction of Jonathan Demme, who was making a documentary about me and the work of The Carter Center. Demme reported that there was an equally large group of Jewish citizens demonstrating in support of the book and its call for a path to peace.

We first discussed the peace treaty I negotiated between Israel and Egypt in 1979, and the Holocaust Commission I announced on Israel's 30th birthday. Five of them had read my book completely and one partially, and I answered their questions about the text and title of PALESTINE PEACE NOT APARTHEID. I emphasized, as I had throughout the tour, that the book was about conditions and events in the Palestinian territories and not in Israel, where a democracy exists with all the freedoms we enjoy in our country and Israeli Jews and Arabs are legally guaranteed the same rights as citizens.

http://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/carter_letter_121506.html

[Scurrilous]

1. Carter explains 'apartheid' reference

Ex-president issues letter to American Jews, clarifying his use of the word in recent book on Israel-Palestinian conflict, entitled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3340657,00.html

<snip>

"Former President Jimmy Carter issued a letter to American Jews on Friday, explaining the use of the term "apartheid" in his new book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and sympathizing with Israelis who fear terrorism.

Carter, author of 'Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid' wrote the letter following a meeting this week with a group of rabbis in Phoenix. The letter was released by the Carter Center, a human rights organization founded by the former president.

Carter wrote that the letter's purpose was to reiterate that his use of "apartheid" did not apply to circumstances within Israel, that Israelis are deeply concerned about terrorism from "some Palestinians," and that a majority of Israelis want peace with their neighbors.

Carter wrote that he understands Israelis' fear of terrorism, and "reiterated my strong condemnation of any such acts of terrorism."

The rabbis said that they would not call for a boycott of the book but that they also would not suggest that anyone read it."

[rodeodance]

2. thanks

[The Magistrate]

3. It Is An Excellent Letter, Sir

Thank you for putting it up.

Part of the problem here is that the term 'apartheid', owing to its origin as a euphemism for extremities of racial segregation in furtherance of a wholly racist policy pressed by a governing party of avowed white supremacists, strikes most people's ears as indicating a policy based on and expressing extreme racism. That its translation, and technical meaning, is simply "apartness" or "seperation", does not register amid the connotations carried from its origin. Loaded words are difficult for the speaker to control, which is one sound argument for avoiding their use altogether where precise meanings are intended, or required.