Israel First Democrats Condemn Carter’s Call to End Apartheid in Palestine
Former President Jimmy Carter has come forward with a new book “Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid.” in an effort to explain the reality of the situation in Palestine. He took the opportunity to educate Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s situation room…
What the wall does is separate Palestinians from other Palestinians. This wall is not built between Israel and Palestine.
It’s built between the Palestinians and other Palestinians….in the West Bank, in the occupied territories, a horrible example of apartheid is being perpetrated against the Palestinians who
live there. Israel has penetrated and occupied, confiscated and colonized major portions of the territory belonging to the Palestinians. In order to do that, they have now built roads between those
isolated settlements — about — well, more than 200 of them. And those roads connect those settlements but they are exclusively to be used by Israelis. So the Palestinians are separated from their own land. And in order to keep the Palestinians from objecting to this, the Israelis have arrested and imprisoned about 9,000 Palestinians, including 300 children, some of them 12 years old, and others women, about 100 women.
And, in the process, the Palestinians are completely treated as inferior citizens.
But wouldn’t you know it, the Israel first democrats have come forward in their defense. John Conyers personally called Carter to convince him to change the title of the book.
“(It)does not serve the cause of peace, and the use of it against the Jewish people in particular, who have been victims of the worst kind of discrimination, discrimination resulting in death, is offensive and wrong….“I cannot agree with the book’s title and its implications about apartheid. I recently called the former president to express my concerns about the title of the book, and to request that the title be changed. President Carter does not build upon his career as a proponent of peace in the Middle East with this comparison and I hope he and his publisher will reconsider this decision.”
Nancy Pelosi also attempts to cover up the obvious truth…
“It is wrong to suggest that the Jewish people would support a government in Israel or anywhere else that institutionalizes ethnically based oppression, and Democrats reject that allegation vigorously.”
I think that Nancy Pelosi misses the point. Just as Americans don’t approve of our current government and their oppression of the Iraqi people and assault on Muslim people in general, it is wrong to blame the Jewish people for what is being done by their government.
Howard Dean also issued a statement
“While I have tremendous respect for former President Carter, I fundamentally disagree and do not support his analysis of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Dean wrote in a statement. “On this issue President Carter speaks for himself, the opinions in his book are his own, they are not the views or position of the Democratic Party. I and other Democrats will continue to stand with Israel in its battle against terrorism and for a lasting peace with its neighbors.”
Although Israel first Democrats appear to be afraid of the word apartheid, Israel’s Ha’aretz seems to see the connection, as pointed out by World War 4 Report
It should be noted that Ha’aretz, Israel’s most respected newspaper, wrote in an Sept. 13 editorial,”…the apartheid regime in the territories remains intact; millions of Palestinians are living without rights, freedom of movement or a livelihood, under the yoke of ongoing Israeli occupation, and in the future they will turn the Jews into a minority between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.[…]”
Also, Akiva Eldar reported May 13,’03 in Ha’aretz that former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema claimed Sharon told him he used the South African Bantustan model in his plan to cantonize the Palestinian territories and limit their autonomy.
