Jimmy Carter, former US president who oversaw the signing of the 1978 Camp David agreements between Egypt and Israel, has published in 2006 a book he titled "Palestine: Peace or Apartheid". (click on the title to reach the Amazon.com page of the book, which features an interview with the author).
And since then, well, it was easy for everyone in the US who wanted to score pro-Israeli cookies to criticise him. Carter: "I have been called an anti-Semite," he said. "I have been called a bigot. I have been called a plagiarist. I have been called a coward. This kind of accusations, they concern me, but they don't detract from the fact the book is accurate and is needed." (from Yediot).
Recently, he appeared on “This week with George Stephanopoulos” on ABC, the former president said "It's almost politically suicidal in the United States for a member of the Congress who wants to seek reelection to take any stand that might be interpreted as anti- policy of the conservative Israeli government, which is equated, as I've seen it myself, as anti-Semitism."
Of course, the question moved more than one person on our campus. The Palestine Action Committee invited Norman Finkelstein to Harvard to comment on the book and the ensuing debate. Finkelstein was actually pretty interesting, and his main argument was that there was nothing particularly new in Carter’s book - it’s mainly the title of the book that seemed to have upset people...
And he also mentioned that the president of Brandeis Uni called on Carter to debate Alan Dershowitz (whom Finkelstein referred to as ‘a clown’).
Guess what: Harvard Students for Israel is inviting Dershowitz anyway. The man is supposed to talk tomorrow at the College.
This thing has already gotten way out of proportion. And here is the thing, though: apparently, it was generally overlooked in Israel.
It is true that hardcore pro-Israelis in the US are often more extreme than their counterparts in Israel...
And since then, well, it was easy for everyone in the US who wanted to score pro-Israeli cookies to criticise him. Carter: "I have been called an anti-Semite," he said. "I have been called a bigot. I have been called a plagiarist. I have been called a coward. This kind of accusations, they concern me, but they don't detract from the fact the book is accurate and is needed." (from Yediot).
Recently, he appeared on “This week with George Stephanopoulos” on ABC, the former president said "It's almost politically suicidal in the United States for a member of the Congress who wants to seek reelection to take any stand that might be interpreted as anti- policy of the conservative Israeli government, which is equated, as I've seen it myself, as anti-Semitism."
Of course, the question moved more than one person on our campus. The Palestine Action Committee invited Norman Finkelstein to Harvard to comment on the book and the ensuing debate. Finkelstein was actually pretty interesting, and his main argument was that there was nothing particularly new in Carter’s book - it’s mainly the title of the book that seemed to have upset people...
And he also mentioned that the president of Brandeis Uni called on Carter to debate Alan Dershowitz (whom Finkelstein referred to as ‘a clown’).
Guess what: Harvard Students for Israel is inviting Dershowitz anyway. The man is supposed to talk tomorrow at the College.
This thing has already gotten way out of proportion. And here is the thing, though: apparently, it was generally overlooked in Israel.
It is true that hardcore pro-Israelis in the US are often more extreme than their counterparts in Israel...
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