Carter’s Brandeis Questions
The Brandeis University website has a transcript of Jimmy Carter’s Tuesday speech with the ten pre-screened questions he was asked, along with his answers. Also a video. As I expected, none of the pre-selected questions pressed him on his repeated admiration for Israeli democracy, a topic I discussed last week.
Carter did say this, though:
It would be an intriguing experience for a group of Brandeis professors and students to visit the occupied territories for a few days, to meet with leaders and private citizens, and to determine whether I have exaggerated or incorrectly described the plight of the Palestinians. While there, you could also assess a subject that I have not mentioned: whether treatment of Arabs inside Israel is fair and equitable.
Better than nothing, I guess. I’d have liked more. Maybe if he said more, his single phrase hinting that all is not well inside Israel might have been picked up by news outlets that, as far as I can tell from Google searches, ignored it completely.
The ten selected questions did raise the main issues Carter’s pro-occupation critics keep repeating.
Carter also had this to say:
Let me refer now to my use of the word “apartheid.” I realize that this has caused great concern in the Jewish community. The title makes it clear that the book is about conditions and events in the Palestinian territories and not in Israel. The text makes clear on numerous occasions that the forced separation and the domination of Arabs by Israelis is not based on race and should give no aid or comfort to any of those who have attempted to equate racism with Zionism. The driving force for the resulting oppression and persecution comes from a minority of Israelis and their desire for Palestinian land.
I’m not sure I agree with his last sentence, that only a minority of Israelis support government policy on this issue. Maybe a big minority, because it’s tied up with the supposed rationale that the occupation is necessary for national survival as a Jewish state. I’d like him to be right, though.
As I write this, I’m listening to the video of Alan Dershowitz’s response to Carter. He’s droning on. And on.
January 27th, 2007 at 4:59 am
That’s a good question. But I’d guess that an opinion poll would reveal that a majority, or close to it would be willing to withdraw fr. the W. Bank. The question of whether to retain places like Kiryat Arba or swap it w. the Palestinians for other Israeli territory might sway more in favor.
But certainly most Israelis are in favor of creating a Palestinian state now. And certainly majorities of American Jews agree with both those propositions.