Deborah Lipstadt (Wash. Post Op-Ed): Jimmy Carter's Jewish Problem

[furman]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901541.html

Jimmy Carter's Jewish Problem
By Deborah Lipstadt
Saturday, January 20, 2007; Page A23

It is hard to criticize an icon. Jimmy Carter's humanitarian work has saved countless lives. Yet his life has also been shaped by the Bible, where the Hebrew prophets taught us to speak truth to power. So I write.

Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," while exceptionally sensitive to Palestinian suffering, ignores a legacy of mistreatment, expulsion and murder committed against Jews. It trivializes the murder of Israelis. Now, facing a storm of criticism, he has relied on anti-Semitic stereotypes in defense.

One cannot ignore the Holocaust's impact on Jewish identity and the history of the Middle East conflict. When an Ahmadinejad or Hamas threatens to destroy Israel, Jews have historical precedent to believe them. Jimmy Carter either does not understand this or considers it irrelevant.

...

Carter has repeatedly fallen back -- possibly unconsciously -- on traditional anti-Semitic canards. In the Los Angeles Times last month, he declared it"politically suicide" for a politician to advocate a "balanced position" on the crisis. On Al-Jazeera TV, he dismissed the critique of his book by declaring that "most of the condemnations of my book came from Jewish-American organizations." Jeffrey Goldberg, who lambasted the book in The Post last month, writes for the New Yorker. Ethan Bronner, who in the New York Times called the book "a distortion," is the Times' deputy foreign editor. Slate's Michael Kinsley declared it "moronic." Dennis Ross, who was chief negotiator on the conflict in the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, described the book as a rewriting and misrepresentation of history. Alan Dershowitz teaches at Harvard and Ken Stein at Emory. Both have criticized the book. Because of the book's inaccuracies and imbalance and Carter's subsequent behavior, 14 members of the Carter Center's Board of Councilors have resigned -- many in anguish because they so respect Carter's other work. All are Jews. Does that invalidate their criticism -- and mine -- or render us representatives of Jewish organizations?

On CNN, Carter bemoaned the "tremendous intimidation in our country that has silenced" the media. Carter has appeared on C-SPAN, "Larry King Live" and "Meet the Press," among many shows. When a caller to C-SPAN accused Carter of anti-Semitism, the host cut him off. Who's being silenced?

Perhaps unused to being criticized, Carter reflexively fell back on this kind of innuendo about Jewish control of the media and government. Even if unconscious, such stereotyping from a man of his stature is noteworthy. When David Duke spouts it, I yawn. When Jimmy Carter does, I shudder.

Others can enumerate the many factual errors in this book. A man who has done much good and who wants to bring peace has not only failed to move the process forward but has given refuge to scoundrels.

The writer teaches at Emory University. Her latest book is "History on Trial: My Day in Court With David Irving."

[Deep13]

1. Carter calls it like he sees it.

The objective facts support his views. The majority of the population of Israel are Palestinian Arab non-citizens. They cannot be citizens because they are not Jewish. This is only a problem because of Israel's official religion. In a secular state it would be a nonissue. Palestinans are being repressed because of religious bigotry.

[Cary]

4. The majority of the population of Israel. . .?

What kind of disinformation is this?

[Deep13]

5. There are more Arabs in Israel than Israelis.

I forgot were I heard it so I don't have a link. If you know otherwise, I'd be glad to hear it.

[Cary]

21. You stand corrected then. . .

"The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, for example, therefore includes Arab permanent residents of Israel who do not hold Israeli citizenship in its census figures. As a result, the number of Arabs in Israel is calculated as 1,404,500 people or 19.8% of the Israeli population (2006). These figures include about 250,000 Arabs in East Jerusalem, and about 19,000 Druze in the Golan Heights."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Arab

[furman]

7. The territories are not part of Israel, plus other corrections

The West Bank and Gaza Strip are not part of Israel. They are disputed territories with claims by both Israel and Palestinians.

Approximately 80% of Israel's population is Jewish. There are over 1 million non-Jews living in Israel.

Israel does not have an official religion. There is complete freedom of religious worship there.
This is contrary to almost every Arab state that proclaims Islam as their official state religions.

[Deep13]

9. Well, England is officially Protestant, but...

...Protestant hard-liners are not guaranteed a certain number of seats in the House of Commons. The Israeli Constitution may not spell out that Israel is a Jewish state, but it is. It is how it works, not what you call it that matters. In the case of a nation like Iran, it is both officially and functionally Muslim. I did not mean to imply that religious minorities were not allowed to practice their religions in Israel.

I would like to see some hard numbers on the demographics if they exist. If I am mistaken about the facts, I would like to know without having to take it on faith from a internet website post. I wonder if the Israeli census even includes Palestinians. I am also suspicious of crowding a dependant class into an area designated as not being state territory but in fact is controlled by that state.

[David__77]

13. Hmm. The map of Israel used by the Israeli gov't appears to include occupied terroritories.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/Israel+in+Maps/Israel+within+Boundaries+and+Ceasefire+Lines+-+200.htm

So they count the land as Israeli but not the people who live on it. That is very much like the "Bantustans" set up by South Africa during the 70's and 80's, which were "independent" but not really, and allowed South Africa to claim a much larger portion of the population as being white than what it really was, because South Africa said many blacks were "non-citizens."

A basic civil right would be to extend citizenship to all the residents under Israeli sovereignty.

[furman]

16. The map link in my post shows political boundaries much better

Israel Today (within boundaries and cease-fire lines)
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/Israel+in+Maps/Modern+Israel+-within+boundaries+and+cease-fire+li.htm

The map you referred to does not clearly demark political boundaries,
but seem to be there based on the colors in the map legend.

[furman]

20. Israel offered Palestinians a contiguous state according to Dennis Ross

In Dennis Ross's book “The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace", the Palestinians were offered a contiguous state in the West Bank and Gaza towards the end of the Camp David/Taba talks, with provisions for a land highway connecting them.
There are maps in that book, as well as here.
The Palestinians rejected this offer containing a contiguous West Bank.


>A basic civil right would be to extend citizenship to all the residents under Israeli sovereignty.

The West Bank and Gaza are not under Israeli sovereignty.
There are not even any Jews left in Gaza.
They are unclaimed territories whose ownership is under dispute until a final agreement is reached.

A binational state would most likely not be viable because Israel would then lose its Jewish character
and become a minority at risk of persecution.
Some Arabs advocate for this plan because it would essentially mean the destruction of Israel.

I say "most likely" because there are some who believe that if Israel annexes the West Bank
enough of a Jewish majority will still be maintained for the forseeable future to be viable.

[BobRossi]

2. It is not easy to be the messenger of truth..

President Carter is the bravest of the brave. He harbors no ill will toward any sample of the world's population. It is a shame that some simply cannot or will not see the truth when it embarasses them.

[YDogg]

6. I concur

[furman]

8. Unfortunately Carter does not speak the truth.

The book is riddled with factual errors that have been pointed out by several scholars and journalists and can be easily found on the internet and even here on DU.

Perhaps it is those who hold Carter in such high esteem that cannot see the truth.

[Deep13]

10. What errors?

I do hold Carter in high esteem andfrankly am willing to accept his word for it, especially when going out on a limb for such politically incorrect premise. I wonder what errors you mean.

[furman]

18. Here is a link to a collection of articles written in response to the book

http://www.standwithus.com/pdfs/flyers/Carter_Responses.pdf

You could also search recent posts on the I/P forum for much more.

[Deep13]

19. Thanks. I'll look through it.

[still_one]

3. I am sympathetic to the article, but shouldn't it be in the I/P forum? /NT

[Howardx]

11. why should it?

so fewer people see it and have the chance to comment on it?

[still_one]

12. Primarily because it involves the I/P issue

As for your comment that fewer people won't see it and have the chance to comment on it, in reality I do not think it will change anyone's mind on the issue. Those that believe Israel can do nothing right, will continue to believe so, just as those who believe Israel does nothing wrong, will continue to believe so

OR

Those that believe the Palestinians can do nothing right, will continue to believe so, just as those who believe that the Palestinians do nothing wrong, will continue to believe so

[KoKo]

14. Because everything about Carter and Israel goes to IP Forum...

it's the way it is.

[KoKo]

15. Carter's Jewish Problem is that he's trying to call attention to what

is going on in Palestine. That he brings attention to the problem means that there will be those who "push back" with charges of Anti-Semitism rather than discussion of his views.

Attack the messenger.

[furman]

17. Perhaps you have not been following events surrounding the book

There have been numerous articles written about the many factual errors in the book.
Carter has also made some controversial statements in print and in interviews recently.

People are entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts.
Sadly Carter has invented his own facts to fit his opinion.
This is what the bulk of the controversy has been about.