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Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 1,842 ratings · 302 reviews

Following his #1 "New York Times" bestseller, "Our Endangered Values," the former president, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, offers an assessment of what must be done to bring permanent peace to Israel with dignity and justice to Palestine.President Carter, who was able to negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt, has remained deeply involved in Middle East affairs since...more

Hardcover, 264 pages

Published November 14th 2006 by Simon & Schuster (first published October 1st 2006)

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May 16, 2013 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Book Circle Reads 16

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Following his #1 New York Times bestseller, Our Endangered Values, the former president, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, offers an assessment of what must be done to bring permanent peace to Israel with dignity and justice to Palestine. President Carter, who was able to negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt, has remained deeply involved in Middle East affairs since leaving the White House. He has stayed in touch with the major playe...more

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Feb 17, 2008 Stevelvis rated it 4 of 5 stars

JIMMY CARTER: PALESTINE PEACE NOT APARTHEID

I just finished reading the latest book by Jimmy Carter Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. It's the book that has been so controversial because of the title. Some conservatives and liberals have said that Mr. Carter has stepped over the line and is showing his anti-semitism. I recommend that you read the book and make up your own mind. Mr. Carter has spent the last 30+ years working toward a fair and secure peace for the mid-east region and his work has bee...more

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Dec 02, 2008 Remi rated it 3 of 5 stars

My "review/criticism" from '07

Carter is not exempt from criticism. While his transformation from ex-president to quasi human rights activist deserves applause, his case for Palestine is not only incomplete, it's misleading. While Carter does great service to his readers by highlighting the Apartheid-style policies Israel has implemented in the occupied territories, he does his readers a grave injustice by inferring that Israel has an exemplary democracy in its own, albeit undefined, borders. Con...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Gill rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: israel

“Interesting to understand Carter's point of view. Written in a childish, Sunday school style. Biggest failing is the blindness to official, state anti-Semitism in the Arab world and the consequent wild, irrational hatred of Jews, not just Israelis by the Arab public. To listen to Carter one would think that the governments of Egypt and Syria have some legal disputes with Israel that being reasonable people they could be resolved by negotiations if the Israelis would only be reasonable too.

That...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Fjorthur rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People whose rich parents would drive them in a BMW to the revolution.

Shelves: insipid-crap, general

Carter, the fellow who backed monied interest bullies and poverty pimps in third world elections against “Liberation Theology” leaders and the poor wherever he was invited, and acted as postman to every terrorist who returned his call, again tries to play the game of honest broker.

What follows is not a geo-political discourse, though Carter brings it out in his book -- but calls into the question the credibilty of the author on the subject of human rights. One, I argue, the author of the book...more
Carter, the fellow who backed monied interest bullies and poverty pimps in third world elections against “Liberation Theology” leaders and the poor wherever he was invited, and acted as postman to every terrorist who returned his call, again tries to play the game of honest broker.

What follows is not a geo-political discourse, though Carter brings it out in his book -- but calls into the question the credibilty of the author on the subject of human rights. One, I argue, the author of the book has little to espouse upon since he lacks experience in that area.

When he visited Haiti, he was met with graffiti calling him what he was: "Carter, a lawyer for soldiers and thugs." He is not a lawyer, but he pushed for the corrupt and trigger happy junta to be pardoned and not exiled while making the once Catholic "liberation theology" priest and former democratically elected president, Aristide, a pariah.

Carter knowingly and willfully armed Indonesia against Timor. He left hundreds of thousands dead there when he was president and knew that Indonesia was game hunting against Timor. His gun running for Indonesia occurred during the height of the Timor genocide. As his under-secretary of State, Holbrooke, said: "I want to stress I am not remotely interested in getting involved in an argument over the actual number of people killed. People were killed and that always is a tragedy but what is at issue is the actual situation in Timor today...what is the big fuss?"

He personally jump started Robert Mugabe's political career as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, supported the Sandinistas over the objections of the later assassinated "liberation theology" archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero. Carter also gave China full trading status rights despite its anti-human rights policy in promoting slavery and prison sweatshops.

He sucker-punched the Russians into invading Afghanistan while Carter funded and trained the Mujahadeen. Now we know who took over that role in that region. He financially punished the American farmer for his own deeds in Afghanistan, by blocking the farmer's from selling any more grain to Russia.

The Carter center? A rube's Valhalla for the wispy of mind, bought and paid for by such notables as the Saudi Bin-Ladin Group,Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, Shiekh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, Agha Hasan Abedi, King Fahd and other Saudi terrorist tied financiers which makes the Carter Center a 'non-partisan' fun place to work.

Any condemnation from Carter on how his financial backers rule a country which is the pits for human rights and still stone women? Of course not. Carter knows that money does not talk, it silences.

Bush and Reagan friends who owned Iran-Contra’s financial laundering cash cow, BCCI, took his peanut farm out of near bankruptcy.

Poor kid, he wants to be ever-so-popular with the bad boys on the playground. He is a 'death-eater' like other warped power brokers, despite his smoke and mirror halo.

One could argue if he is either incredibly cynical or deluded, but the verdict is pretty well evident he is yet another hypocrite in a long line of Reagan-Bush toadies. They went for the money, he went for the tin plate prize.

He does build a good house, though.(less)

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Mar 23, 2008 Mk rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: palestine

When I told my parents I was going to do solidarity work in Palestine, they - in the midst of yelling and tears - asked me why. I said that I wanted to be able to come back and talk about what I had seen. My father's retort was something along the lines of "What about Jimmy Carter's book? What could you possibly say that a Nobel prize winning well respected ex-president couldn't?"

A year after coming home, I finally read it. There's very little that Carter and I have to say that's the same, as we...more When I told my parents I was going to do solidarity work in Palestine, they - in the midst of yelling and tears - asked me why. I said that I wanted to be able to come back and talk about what I had seen. My father's retort was something along the lines of "What about Jimmy Carter's book? What could you possibly say that a Nobel prize winning well respected ex-president couldn't?"

A year after coming home, I finally read it. There's very little that Carter and I have to say that's the same, as we're coming from very different places. Nonetheless, I was much more impressed than I expected to be. Though my critiques of the occupation would be more bottom-up and scathing, Carter still goes *much* further than any mainstream politician in the US has in years. Due to his fame, respect, and ultimately whiteness and Christianity, this book has quickly become the 101 text on the Israel/Palestine/Middle East conflict. As mainstream 101 texts go, it is surprisingly good.

In large part, the book details various peace talks and the main players in them, a very top-down and at times impersonal view of the conflict. Carter repeatedly chastises both Israeli and Palestinian leaders for their refusal to compromise, but certainly criticizes the Israeli leaders more. He notes that many of the milestones Palestinians have to meet for negotiations to continue are impossible and unfair. For example, the idea that all suicide bombings must be stopped is impossible when 1) Israel is imprisoning many of Palestine's most influential politicians, 2) Israel's much larger military can't even do that and 3) the root cause of the conflict isn't being discussed. Carter repeatedly pegs the occupation (albeit the one beginning in 1967, not the one in 1948) as the source of the conflict and even refers to Israel as a colonial power. He notes that Arafat could not realistically accept any of the offers made to him by Israel, including the "generous offer," because Israel insisted on maintaining control of all borders, air space, ocean access, and elctromagnetic frequencies (radio, TV, etc).

It's not until the last chapter that Carter really talks about the Wall and other ways that Palestinian lives are daily affected by the occupation. It's a strong ending, though it not being discussed earlier might make it difficult for some people to understand the stances Palestinian leaders took in negotiations.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. It's not by any means the first book I would recommend to someone already politicized looking to learn about the occupation, but it is much more accessible to someone like my liberal yet Zionist father.(less)

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Lee Well, if I can add my two cents here, Sarah Roy locates herself in her work and speaks from her own perspective as a descendant of Holocaust survivors...more
Mar 18, 2008 12:55pm

Sarah oh yeah i never got back to this. i guess i like what lee said so i concur. i mean ehrenreich appropriated poverty and then had the audacity to capita...more oh yeah i never got back to this. i guess i like what lee said so i concur. i mean ehrenreich appropriated poverty and then had the audacity to capitalize off of it. oh and then she probably went on a book tour because she's such a performance artist. coincidentally enough (or actually not at all) my mom was super rah-rah about "nickel and dimed" too, she even got bought me a copy and it's currently collecting dust on my bookshelf (probably next to obama's memoir that she also got for me). to further complicate the situation: why does my mom rely on ehrenreich's analysis when she herself grew up poor? yes, her family was ultimately able to "move ahead" because of hard work and systemic affirmative action for ethnic white people in the US post WWII. but her family struggled. so why does she nevertheless need ehrenreich to articulate to her how that feels? well apparently my mother would (again) rather trust a white academic to tell her "see, it's not really poor folks' fault," because she doesn't wish to perceive poverty as part of her lived experience. (on top of the internalized "bootstraps" feeling that if SHE was able to make it then why not...)

and so perhaps in the same spirit of this forced "forgetting" of my mother's link to being poor exists collective Jewish denial of how it feels to be ethnically cleansed. (although i can tell you that even though i'm two whole generations away from the nazi holocaust, i can very easily identify the roots of my neuroses.) yes, Zionist Jews exploit the suffering of the nazi holocaust to rationalize the occupation of Palestine... but on some deep level, is there actually an effort among Zionists to suppress (and not process) the remnants of pain from the holocaust? did they not have the time/space necessary to collectively process their suffering in part because they themselves became oppressors of Palestinians almost immediately after the holocaust? i'm not trying to psychoanalyze Zionism (i'm sure it's been done a thousand times), but i'm just wondering if a subconscious yet intentional "forgetting" is also one of the coping mechanism (among many) that Zionists employ to be able to inflict pain without remorse, to very truly not have to connect Palestinian suffering to their own.

and i wonder if jimmy carter's book goes into all of that.

(less)
updated Mar 24, 2008 09:58pm

Mar 17, 2009 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this when it first came out, but it seems very timely now to revisit. I had been under the impression that the Clinton administration had tried earnestly to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the book made it clear that there has been no real attempt on the part of the United States to help the Palestinians since the inception of the conflict. I would say that Bush's statement that a Palestinian State was the presumptive goal of any talks was probably the most effective help th...more

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Nov 26, 2008 Drew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: palestine, politics, favorites

I just finished reading Jimmy Carter’s controversial book on the Palestine-Israel conflict. It’s both fascinating and accessible. Everyone should read it, no matter where they stand on this divisive issue. President Carter, responding to some of the vitriol that surrounded his book tour, said that we need to have a discussion and his book opens up space to have that discussion. I heartily agree.

Carter provides much needed historical and political context to the problem, covering the issue not on...more I just finished reading Jimmy Carter’s controversial book on the Palestine-Israel conflict. It’s both fascinating and accessible. Everyone should read it, no matter where they stand on this divisive issue. President Carter, responding to some of the vitriol that surrounded his book tour, said that we need to have a discussion and his book opens up space to have that discussion. I heartily agree.

Carter provides much needed historical and political context to the problem, covering the issue not only from the dominant Israeli / US point of view but also from Palestinians, surrounding Arab nations and his own personal intersection with the region through his faith, his presidency and his work with The Carter Center. In the conclusion, he writes “voices from Jerusalem dominate in our media, and most American citizens are unaware of circumstances in the occupied territories” (Carter 2006:209). This book helps bring other pieces of information and experience to the table.

A common theme throughout the book is Carter’s insistence that the United States needs to talk to both its friends and its supposed enemies. Diplomacy is paramount. While you surely can talk to your friends, it’s imperative that you reach out to people with whom you disagree. The U.S. did that with its deadliest enemy, the Soviet Union, but in recent years and under the George W. Bush administration, it has failed to practice this fundamental tenet of international relations. Carter writes, “A major impediment to progress is Washington’s strange policy that dialogue on controversial issues is a privilege to be extended only as a reward for subservient behavior and withheld from those who reject U.S. demands” (Carter 2006: 202-203).

He also writes about how the White House and U.S. Congress have been less than vocal in response to illegal Israeli actions, partly due to the immense power of the Israeli lobby in the United States. This influence is strengthened by its practice of silencing dissent by labeling it anti-semitic. Let’s just be clear here, opposing Israeli state policy is not anti-semitic in and of itself; just as opposing Iranian state policy is not anti-Islamic.

Very near the end of the book, Carter reflects back on a remark he made to the Israeli Knesset in 1979 that still rings true in 2007: “The people support a settlement. Political leaders are the obstacles to peace” (Carter 2006:211). He meant leaders on both sides as well as international actors. It is sad that almost thirty years have passed, countless lives have been lost, millions have become refugees, and still our leaders cannot sit down, talk and settle this problem. Let’s hope this book kicks the process in the butt and gets it moving once again.(less)

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Apr 26, 2013 David rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is a simple book simply about Jimmy and his wife went through the presidency without doing anything..watching on the sideline like watching a Tennis match between the evil Zionists playing Israels and puppy USA like some goofballs and the poor Palestinians over many years..how shall I concluded with this shitty book? i) simply a tourist notebook on telling what had happened in the Middle East in which we all knew: Israel hijacked by Zionist, using Belfore Agreement to steal Palestine, AND t...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Roger DeBlanck rated it 2 of 5 stars

Jimmy Carter’s oddly-titled book makes a questionable investigation of the crisis between Israelis and Palestinians. He assigns disproportionate culpability to the Israelis as derailing the peace process. When he chooses not to blame Israel outright, his perspective does lend some crucial insight to the historical dilemma in the volatile Middle East. But Carter allows his many fair and accurate assessments in the book to be washed out by continually returning to his agenda of taking aim at Israe...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Lori Crossley added it · review of another edition

Very concise, well laid out and well thought out background to the current upheaval in the Middle East with an unbiased presentation of the issues for both sides. President Carter is able to take all the "white noise" out of the arguments and boil this down to how the Palestinians have made poor decisions at certain junctures following the passing of UN resolution 242 and how the Israelis have not truly come to the negotiating tables with the intent of finding a permanent resolution beyond anyth...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Elliot Ratzman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jimmy Carter was demonized for writing this mild, sober book with a strong title; go figure. That’s how nervous alleged “pro-Israel” propagandists are about his even-handed assessment of Israel’s colonizing practices. Prez Carter, do recall, brokered the Camp David peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, but that hasn’t stopped the bizarre claim that he is an anti-Israel Christian anti-Semite--whatever. Few “buts” about it, the book is an apt intro to the Is-Pal conflict, one speckled with les...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Halden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Continuing impediments have been the desire of some Israelis for Palestinian land, the refusal of some Arabs to accept Israel as a neighbor [sic], the absence of a clear and authoritative Palestinian voice acceptable to Israel, the refusal of both sides to join peace talks without onerous preconditions, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the recent lack of any protracted effort by the United States to pursue peace based on international law and previous agreements ratified by Israel.

Jimmy Ca...more Continuing impediments have been the desire of some Israelis for Palestinian land, the refusal of some Arabs to accept Israel as a neighbor [sic], the absence of a clear and authoritative Palestinian voice acceptable to Israel, the refusal of both sides to join peace talks without onerous preconditions, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the recent lack of any protracted effort by the United States to pursue peace based on international law and previous agreements ratified by Israel.

Jimmy Carter brings his years of experience and knowledge to explain and break down the complex and convoluted situation of Israeli and Palestinian politics. Despite a rocky start , where his “historical” account of Israel’s past includes ( amongst other biblical “facts”) David’s uniting of the twelve tribes and Jesus’ birth, he gives a clear and concise rundown of the treatise, accords and pacts that have been agreed to and then ignored by all sides as well as a fair assessment of most of the major issues, squabbles and battles.

Compromise is necessary from both sides, with a clear distinctions made between what their dreams and ideology dictate and what is pragmatically possible.

Carter attempts to tread the centre line on most issues but it is hard to feel that the Palestinian people are the more oppressed and that Israel is taking advantage of a privileged situation with unwavering U.S. support. Descriptions of Israels security wall, the conditions imposed on Palestinian travelers and business people, and the withholding of international aid all paint a bleak image of Israel.

The book is not as pessimistic as many people, myself included, tend to be when discussing the situation in the middle east. Carter has illuminated much of the good work done in the effort to bring peace to Israel and Palestine, highlighting just how close it is if only the two sides could embrace some basic compromises such as a secure Israel and recognizing the sovereignty of all middle east nations including Palestine.

Palestine: Peace not Apartheid is an excellent read for anyone that has an interest in learning the history and current standing of the middle east peace process and has little to no knowledge of it(less)

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Apr 12, 2009 Shaun rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jimmy Carter starts off by talking about the promises in the Camp David Peace Accords. Egypt has fulfilled it’s promise; Israel, however, has not fulfilled it’s promise toward Palestine as was stated by the Camp David Accords. From here, Israel gets the blame and Carter shows that from the 1980 to the current times, Israel has taken advantage of the Palestinian people.

What is fascinating is that he talks about events behind the scenes. I found it interesting about his talks with various leaders...more Jimmy Carter starts off by talking about the promises in the Camp David Peace Accords. Egypt has fulfilled it’s promise; Israel, however, has not fulfilled it’s promise toward Palestine as was stated by the Camp David Accords. From here, Israel gets the blame and Carter shows that from the 1980 to the current times, Israel has taken advantage of the Palestinian people.

What is fascinating is that he talks about events behind the scenes. I found it interesting about his talks with various leaders on both sides to see what they had to say. Going throughout history, Carter lays out various plans, wars, and strategies that both sides (and us) have offered. At each moment, the Palestinians are portrayed as the good guys and the Israelis have faulted.

The book ends with Israel building a wall that’s within the West Bank which Carter considers and apartheid because it’s confining the Palestinians in their own territory without basic human rights.

The tone of the book was awkward. I felt like I was reading a book at a seventh grade reading level. However, the book also assumes that one is familiar with the conflict in the Middle East. In some places, Carter is right. The Israeli world has been unfair to the Palestinians. For example, the Oslo Accords seemed to have an unfair advantage to Israel because they kept a lot of the land, and Clinton blamed Arafat for that. However, there are a lot of things where Carter is naive about. For example, the Israelis are building a wall. Carter claims it’s because of apartheid purposes. However, I think the answer is obvious: the Israelis are looking for security. By building a wall, you impede Palestinian suicide bombers from entering into Palestine. To be fair, Carter does admit that, but he thinks that the main motivation for building the wall was to gain more land. This is too naive! It’s about security! I know that Carter wants to play the peacemaker here, but he must realize that security is the main issue in these dealings, not land. Sure, Israel would give up land in exchange for security. But for the Israelis, they want a guarantee that security will happen first. They’re not going to give up land because having that land is a buffer zone for security. Even the Golan Heights, which Carter says belongs to Syria, is a place of security. There are too many things here that Carter ignores in his history and it’s a shame that he does so.

Many people have commented that since it was Israel’s fault, Carter is considered an anti-Semite. I think that’s a silly remark. Carter is not an anti-Semite. He deeply cares about the people involved in the Middle East. I think he is right when he says that the animosity is because of our outlook on Israel. But when it comes to history, Carter is ignoring the facts. I would still recommend to reading it, however.(less)

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Sep 03, 2012 Arda rated it 3 of 5 stars

This hardcover with the daring title: “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid” is clearly not going to be welcomed at the Israeli Ben Gurion airport. Above the title is an image of the so-called Israeli “security fence” forced on Palestinian land, which former President of the United States Jimmy Carter is not hesitant to refer to as an “imprisonment wall”. Next to this apartheid-like image is Carter’s profile; his hands rest on his chin and the look on his face suggests deep concern, perhaps even a lit...more This hardcover with the daring title: “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid” is clearly not going to be welcomed at the Israeli Ben Gurion airport. Above the title is an image of the so-called Israeli “security fence” forced on Palestinian land, which former President of the United States Jimmy Carter is not hesitant to refer to as an “imprisonment wall”. Next to this apartheid-like image is Carter’s profile; his hands rest on his chin and the look on his face suggests deep concern, perhaps even a little bit of guilt.

It is not surprising that this book would not be popular among Israelis; the title and cover are enough to raise serious doubt. But apparently this is not quite the hit among Palestinians, either.

Having read the mixed reviews on this book, I noticed disappointment from both Israelis and Palestinians, both of whom considered Carter to have been too sympathetic to the “other side.” With his insistance on maintaining and believing in peace in the Middle East, it is easy to say: You can’t please them all, Jimmy.

Contrary to what the title may suggest, this book is not pro-Palestinian, but it simply brings forth some uncomfortable issues for supporters of Israel.

With the simple language, large font, easy-to-turn recycled-papers and historical chronology, Carter’s book gives a summary of the peace process starting from the early 70s, Camp David during his presidency, and up until 2006.

One can read between the lines that Carter was fond of and intrigued by former Israeli Defence Minister Ezer Weisman, and former President of Egypt Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated and considerd a “traitor” by a few. Carter believed Sadat to have been mis-understood by Arab leaders, and he somewhat holds former Israeli Prime Minister Menachim Begin as responsible for some of this mis-understanding. In later years, Begin would prove ambivalent about “sticking to one’s word” (following the Camp David Accords, 1978, Sadat, Begin and Carter), and his ambivalence towards Washington in general and Carter in particular. This ambivalence and total disregard of Israelis towards U.S., U.N. and International resolutions and directions reappears continuously in the book, and which exacerbates violence in the region and adds to the lack of trust.

One of the difficult parts to read was to see that the world may have gotten tired of, if not bored of, the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. In the attitude of some Israeli leaders such as Shamir, Carter finally begins to understand "why there was such a surprising exodus of Christians from the Holy Land." In another part, he notes that "it is certainly possible that the path of the Palestinians is leading to a dead end, and that even their Arab allies will tire of actively supporting the Palestinian cause. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that nothing would hurt the black cause in America more than for whites simply to grow bored with it..." Following the second Intifada of 2000 which he himself infuriated, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took it upon himself to encourage settlements and went ahead with the plans of segregation and separation, confined the late President Arafat in his compound and the plans went ahead in building the “wall as a prison.” It is clear that Carter is disheartened by the wall, which he indicates as illegal as the settlements following 1967 and as Israel’s disregard of UN resolutions 242 and 338 (which are mentioned quite a few times in the book and even pasted in the last pages).

That said, Carter does not give up on peace and believes in the two-state solution, and he points more than once that the “two-state solution” is what the majority of the Palestinians and Israelis are in agreement with – although I am not too sure if this is true. There are more and more Palestinians today who see that the fragmented pieces that have remained from what was Palestine once cannot possibly be considered as an actual bubble of a state. Moreover, when President Obama even suggested the word “1967” in a recent speech, Netanyahu and the AIPAC completely shunned him, and we witnessed how these words were dismissed by the US President a few days later – as if they never even happened. In this sense, this book is important for the American public to read, as it brings attention to more than one instance in history when the Israelis almost forced the US policy to concede with its ways.

I cannot believe I actually reviewed, much less read, a book about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. These types of conversations generally get my blood pressure up, and I usually think "let the politicians get a kick out of these impossible scenarios we are forced to live through." But here is a politician who kind of takes us away from the mumbo jumbo and shows us that there is more going on behind the infamous handshakes and press photographs. Carter, despite being a politician, proves that he *does* care about this conflict, despite the hopeful naiveté presented in the summary.

Looking back at his face expression on the cover of the book, his face *does* in fact show genuine remorse to what has become of this wretched land. (less)

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May 10, 2009 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-school, non-fiction, historical

This is not a book that I would have intentionally chosen as something that would be interesting to me. I selected it at the library thinking it would be useful in my research for a project on the Middle East we are currently doing in my humanities class. I think that's what made this book a treasure of a find for me, because not only did it present excellent research, facts, maps, statistics, etc. but also allowed me to shape more of a perspective on the Israelian/Palestinian conflict within th...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Parker W rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wanted to find out more about the middle east situation... and I picked up this one because it was the most recent and also I felt like Jimmy Carter would have some insight, and I guess I quasi-trust the guy because I'm always hearing about his humanitarian work.

This book is simply written, as to be read and understood easily by just about anybody. While it didn't go into a lot of detail, it unraveled the recent history of the area and wove it into Carter's personal experiences there over tim...more

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Jun 26, 2007 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

A decent book, a basic discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but I thought I could have learned more by picking up another book with more detail.

I liked the title a lot- because comparing the occupation of Palestine to apartheid in S Africa helps make a comparison to something a lot of people are more familiar with. And, I like Jimmy Carter, he helps build houses for poor people and isn't afraid to publicly say bad things about Bush!

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May 03, 2009 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

No matter which side of the political aisle you find yourself on, there is no denying that Jimmy Carter is a knowledgable and respected player in the Middle East peace process (he won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his persistent efforts to establish peace). That's why I was excited to read his book on the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine and his own personal involvement and efforts to bring peace to the region. Carter has been a prolific writer since leaving the White House...more

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Jul 27, 2011 David A. added it · review of another edition

This book has a bad title. The question of apartheid doesn't emerge till the last chapter and summary. Rather, the book is the story of the region, from the vantage point of President Carter, from 1967 to 2006. A wee bit self-congratulatory, the President is clearly frustrated by the policies of the Bush administration and concerned for his own legacy. What's most compelling to me is the wall being built around the Palestinian territories, which evokes Berlin for me, not Johannesburg. A friend o...more

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Apr 27, 2009 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Brian by: Noam Chomsky (not personally, of course)

"Palestine Peace Not Apartheid" is a refreshing alternative to the unconditional support for Israeli aggression that has dominated Washington as far back as I can recall. Jimmy Carter's book offers a much more honest and balanced assessment of the issues surrounding Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories than I expected from someone as deeply embedded in the political establishment as a former US president. This is probably why the Israel lobby reacted so violently to its publication an...more "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid" is a refreshing alternative to the unconditional support for Israeli aggression that has dominated Washington as far back as I can recall. Jimmy Carter's book offers a much more honest and balanced assessment of the issues surrounding Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories than I expected from someone as deeply embedded in the political establishment as a former US president. This is probably why the Israel lobby reacted so violently to its publication and has invested so much energy into defaming the former President.

To help contextualize his presentation, Carter does the service of prefacing his text with a series of maps and a chronology of major political events in the region from ca. 2000 BCE through 2006 CE. He then introduces his primary argument, which is that the most significant impediments to peace between Palestine and Israel (including the formation of a Palestinian state) have been: Israeli theft of Palestinian land, some Arab groups refusal to accept Israel as a neighbor, the absence of a single Palestinian voice that Israel will negotiate with, objectionable preconditions by both sides to peace talks, and the US government's recent failure to make any meaningful steps toward peace. Carter then presents instances of each of these factors as he reviews the US government's role in the peace process from his administration to that of George W. Bush, as well as his assessment of the other relevant national leaders, and the cultures they ostensibly represent. Although it covers a fairly large amount of material, this book is concise and easy to read (I breezed through it in less than a day, and I tend to be a slow reader). By combining firsthand experiences and antidotes with historical accounts, the text becomes something of a narrative. I would recommend this book primarily to someone who is interested in the history of the Israeli government's settlement policies and of the negotiations between the different political authorities.(less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book to get a brief overview of the Israel-Palestine conflict. He gives a very brief outline of how the conflict has unfolded for thousands of years, and then a more in depth review of his involvement over a 30 year period of time.

While I am a firm supporter of Israel's right to be a nation, he does bring up some good points of how Israel has not helped the peace process along. He is equally critical of Palestine and the neighboring Arab countries. It is difficult to read th...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Most Amuricans who 'think they know'

Shelves: current-events, israel, middle-east, non-fiction, politics

Presidential real-talk right here folks.

Despite the controversial title, former President Carter offers straightforward and valuable insight into the history of the peace process. He outlines how the Arab-Israeli conflict has unfolded since the early 20th century, the steps taken since '48 to reach a settlement, and his recommendations to bringing peace to the region.

The book is written in simple language with no over indulgence of historical detail, the likes of which usually lull me to sleep....more

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Nov 11, 2011 بثينة العيسى rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: The Human Race

Mr. Carter is accused of anti-Semitism? Seriously? That's the opposite of the impression I had when reading his book and especially in the first 3 chapters.

I highly appreciate what he said about Gaza and mistreatments of the Palestinians especially in the last 5 years when the so-called "peace process" stopped.

I thought that he should express a direct blame to the brutal Israeli policies more than he did. I also think the US policies in recent years are contributing to eliminate any REAL peace...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Margarida Carlos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excelente livro para se compreender um pouco melhor o conflito israelo-palestiniano. Jimmy Carter é na verdade um grande lutador pela paz entre as duas nações e descreve os seus esforços e os esforços de outros presidentes dos EUA e de outros países para que se chegue a um acordo de paz em pormenor. Não se poupa a criticas a nenhuma das partes interessadas, Estados Unidos incluídos e foi isso mesmo que me fez gostar tanto do livro: facto de Carter se manter apenas interessado na paz em Israel e...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Douglas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Critics of this book come across as if all they read was the title. The appendixes contain the text for various peace treaties and U.N. documents pertaining to these Israel and Palestine conflict. Two thirds of the rest of the book contain information concerning the area and its history told through the first hand witness of the author. This text is now somewhat dated. The recent events of the summer of 2011 do change the dynamics of the area in ways that time will tell. Carter details how the n...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Jennifer Abdo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: palestinian-israeli-conflict-non-f

I think Carter did a pretty good job of explaining the situation, so if one is not familiar with it, it would be good to read. Also, the personal relationships he describes with other leaders, and trips to Israel and Palestine are very interesting.

It is clear Carter has a very clear picture of Israel and sympathizes with Jews in all they've been through. What is interesting is that he , unlike most leaders, hasn't (at least since leaving office) used this as an excuse to go easy on them and allo...more

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Feb 27, 2010 Harpal rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's actually not a whole lot of substance here, but, for that very reason, I don't actually see too much controversy either. Almost the entire book is Carter writing about his time in office, recounting his trips to the holy land, and chronicling the development of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The final chapter, however, is entitled "The Wall as a Prison", and, well, I think that's where things start to get spicy!

It's an easy read, has some interesting facts interspersed as well as the...more

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Dec 04, 2008 Joseph rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For all the controversy it engendered, I wasn't surprised by anything in this book, nor was it a particularly captivating analysis or innovative plan for the Middle East.

The book is useful as a brief sketch of the recent conflict and the involvement of American diplomatic efforts. Criticism that it is heavy on the negative role of Israel is understandable and justified but easily explained by Carter as an antidote to the overwhelming influence of AIPAC and the mass media on the discussion in Ame...more

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Dec 03, 2008 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Strangely enough, Jimmy Carter is one of my heroes.

I don’t want to get into a debate about his presidency, but in my opinion, he is easily the ex-president who has done the most good in the world since his time in office.

This book appealed to me because I am something of a holocaust buff and am very interested in the history of Israel. The country has always troubled me because of their policies towards the Palestinian people and this book helped put a lot of what has happened in recent history...more

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About Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981, and the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. Prior to becoming president, Carter served two terms in the Georgia Senate and as the 76th Governor of Georgia, from 1971 to 1975.

As president, Carter created two new cabinet-level departments: the Department of Energy and the Department of...more James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981, and the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. Prior to becoming president, Carter served two terms in the Georgia Senate and as the 76th Governor of Georgia, from 1971 to 1975.

As president, Carter created two new cabinet-level departments: the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. He established a national energy policy that included conservation, price decontrol, and new technology. Foreign oil imports were reduced by 50% from 1977 to 1982. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Carter sought to put a stronger emphasis on human rights; he negotiated a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979. His return of the Panama Canal Zone to Panama was seen as a major concession of U.S. influence in Latin America, and Carter came under heavy criticism for it. The final year of his presidential tenure was marked by several major crises, including the 1979 takeover of the American embassy in Iran and holding of hostages by Iranian students, a failed rescue attempt of the hostages, serious fuel shortages, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. By 1980, Carter's disapproval ratings were significantly higher than his approval, and he was challenged by Ted Kennedy for the Democratic Party nomination in the 1980 election. Carter defeated Kennedy for the nomination, but lost the election to Republican Ronald Reagan.

After leaving office, Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded The Carter Center, a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization that works to advance human rights. He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, observe elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. He is also a key figure in the Habitat for Humanity project. Carter remains an particularly vocal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As of 2008, Carter is the second-oldest living former president, three months and 19 days younger than George H. W. Bush.

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“The bottom line is this: Peace will come to Israel and the Middle East only when the Israeli government is willing to comply with international law, with the Roadmap for Peace, with official American policy, with the wishes of a majority of its own citizens--and honor its own previous commitments--by accepting its legal borders. All Arab neighbors must pledge to honor Israel's right to live in peace under these conditions. The United States is squandering international prestige and goodwill and intensifying global anti-American terrorism by unofficially condoning or abetting the Israeli confiscation and colonization of Palestinian territories.” — 8 people liked it

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