Haaretz piece on Carter's book and related criticism.

[Shaktimaan]

This book has featured for weeks on the bestseller lists, and has also provoked a huge outcry. It is no small matter when a former American president accuses Israel of an "apartheid" policy in the territories, and also holds it largely responsible for the ongoing bloodshed. "Your book," wrote the resigning board members, "has confused opinion with fact, subjectivity with objectivity."

At almost the same time, a group of Reform rabbis announced that they had decided to cancel a planned visit to the Carter Center in March. In their announcement, they urged Carter to resume working to promote "peace, not prejudice."

Accusations have been leveled at Carter's book since the day it was published. Those well-versed in the details of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as the Clinton administration's peace envoy, Dennis Ross, have found in it a plethora of falsehoods, fabrications and half-truths. "Mr. Carter's presentation badly misrepresents the Middle East proposals advanced by President Bill Clinton in 2000," Ross wrote.

The resigning board members' letter cites several other lies Carter is trying to disseminate. For instance, his assertion in the book that UN Security Council Resolution 242 states that "Israel must withdraw from territories" - to which the letter responded: "But you know the word 'must' in fact is not in the resolution." Kenneth W. Stein, who was the Carter Center's first executive director, and resigned from his position as a fellow several weeks ago because of the book, told Haaretz that it contains "intentional falsehoods" and accused Carter of "irresponsible remarks."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=apartheid&itemNo=813396

[nofurylike]

1. thank you for posting this important piece. eom