logo
g Text Version
Auto
Beauty & Self
Books & Music
Career
Computers
Education
Family
Food & Wine
Health & Fitness
Hobbies & Crafts
Home & Garden
Money
News & Politics
Relationships
Religion & Spirituality
Society & Culture
Sports
Travel & Leisure
TV & Movies

dailyclick
Bored? Games!
Postcards
Astrology
Take a Quiz
Rate My Photo

new
Journals
Folklore and Mythology
Business Coach
Marriage
Senior Living
Ethnic Beauty
Adolescence


dailyclick
All times in EST

Full Schedule
g
g Middle Eastern Culture Site
Rachel Schaus
BellaOnline's Middle Eastern Culture Editor

g

Jimmy Carter's Palestine Peace Not Apartheid
Guest Author - Julie L Baumler

Cover of Palestine Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy CarterI have what may be an unhealthy and prurient fascination for the controversial. If something is controversial in some way, I need to check it out for myself and form my own opinion. Generally, my final opinion is that I wasted my time looking into something that was much ado about nothing; but that doesn't seem to stop from investigating the next time. So, of course, when Jimmy Carter's book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid started generating controversy over the choice of title; I had to read it. Having read the book, I really didn't find much fodder for controversy. Certainly, the term apartheid is racially-loaded but is that controversial in and of itself or is using such terms gratuitously the problem? I've always been taught it was the later and I don't feel that Carter is guilty of that faux pas. One of Carter's themes in this book is that the current state of affairs regarding the Palestinians in Israel is unstable and the opposite of peaceful. One of the anecdotes Carter shares in the book is a 1973 conversation with Yitzhak Rabin, a then important Israeli general who became Prime Minister of Israel from 1974-1977 and 1992-1995. Rabin prophetically commented that he didn't feel the apartheid system in South Africa was stable. (p.30) This instability is exactly the message Carter is trying to send with this book and tying in the quote from Rabin provides association with a messenger well respected by his target audience. Although history will show whether he is successful, it is a masterful way to present an argument.

Although I was disappointed in my search for controversy, I was not at all disappointed by the book as a whole. Palestine Peace Not Apartheid is one of those rare non-fiction books that manage to be extremely readable while at the same time greatly increasing your understanding of the topic. President Carter made his first visit to Israel as governor of Georgia in 1973 and has been personally involved in the Israeli peace process ever since. In this book, he shares his experiences and observations relating to the Israeli peace process and the Palestinian issue, as well as sharing a suggested solution. Since Carter knows many of the key figures personally and was involved in many of the significant events, this book provides a first-hand view of history. Carter prefaces his book with a time line of key events from Abraham's journey to Canaan up to the present and includes cultural and historical background through out the remainder of the text. A reader with little or no background knowledge or understanding of Israeli/Palestinian history and conflict can pick up what they need to know as they read, but readers with stronger backgrounds will not find themselves bogged down in long sections of nothing but review of basic information. This is an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in any facet of Israeli or Palestinian history and current affairs.

Buy Palestine Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter at Alibris

Middle Eastern History
Middle Eastern News & Politics
Middle Eastern Culture Newsletter
RSS
Related Articles
Previous Features
Site Map

Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to Twitter Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to Facebook Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to MySpace Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to Del.icio.us Digg Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to Yahoo My Web Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to Google Bookmarks Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to Stumbleupon Add Jimmy+Carter%27s+Palestine+Peace+Not+Apartheid to Reddit


Content copyright © 2009 by Julie L Baumler. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Julie L Baumler. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Rachel Schaus for details.

g


For FREE email updates, subscribe to the Middle Eastern Culture Newsletter


Past Issues


print
Printer Friendly
bookmark
Bookmark
tell friend
Tell a Friend
forum
Forum
email
Email Editor

g features
Introduction to Islam

Countries of the Middle East

Greetings and Politeness in Dari

Archives | Site Map

forum
Forum
email
Contact

Past Issues
memberscenter

jobs
what
job title, keywords
where
city, state or zip
jobs by job search


vote
Growing a Garden
Veggies and Flowers
Veggies Only
Flowers Only
No Garden

g


| About BellaOnline | Privacy Policy | Advertising | Become an Editor |
Website copyright © 2009 Minerva WebWorks LLC. All rights reserved.


BellaOnline Editor