Jimmy Carter Writes New Book On Middle East

ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter has written a new book on the Middle East with a title he hopes will not be as controversial as the last one, which was called, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

Carter said Wednesday night that "We Can Bring Peace to the Holy Land" will be published in January, just after the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"I was going to call it, 'Yes, We Can.' My wife talked me out of it," Carter joked toward the end of a panel discussion on human rights at The Carter Center. He offered no further details on the new text, to be published by Simon & Schuster.

As president, Carter brokered peace between Israel and Egypt. But Jewish groups and some fellow Democrats strongly objected to his book published two years ago because it compared Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories with former racial oppression in South Africa.

During the panel discussion at the conclusion of a two-day forum of international human rights activists, Carter said the "persecution of Palestinians" and lack of U.S. commitment to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict remains one of the most volatile issues in the Muslim world.

He said when he took office in 1977, there had been four wars and Arab oil embargoes, and he saw a need to begin tackling Middle East peace in the first year of his administration. Those efforts led to the 1979 Camp David Accords.

"We've had very few efforts since then to bring about a comprehensive peace," Carter said.

Carter, 84, has been a prolific author since leaving the White House, in 1981. His many best sellers include "An Hour Before Daylight" and "Our Endangered Values."

Comments

[thoughtmuse]

I admire Jimmy Carter so much and have really enjoyed reading his insightful non-fiction works.
Since there are so many commenting here who also seem supportive, I'd like to encourage you to take a moment to visit his center's web site
http://www.cartercenter.org/donate/index.html
and make a small donation. The center does wonderful work to support world peace and stability (same thing). What a wonderful gesture since it's a holiday season -- and you could even feel that you had added some weight to the words of your comments.... You could even brag about it to all your fellow commenters......

[celticjag]

It has been reported that Alan Dershowitz pressured the Democratic Party to not allow Carter to speak at the convention. If this is true, then the party, including Obama, owe Pres. Carter an apology!

[who38]

That's interesting. What is your source?

[celticjag]

On 11/13/08, Dershowitz gave an interview to Shalom TV, stating that he was among those who convinced Obama to keep Carter from addressing the Dem. Convention! You can Google this to verify!

[nolabels]

Jimmy Carter is a great man and a hero. I highly recommend watching Man From Plains.

[MagisterLudi]

I don't doubt he is a nice man. But politically he was one of the worst of the century.
Like that slightly batty uncle who wanks at a dinner table, he's smartly kept out of political events by Democrats. Like Nixon, history passed judgment on him and found him wanting. But he's a nice guy.

[Petunia39]

Thank you President Carter for speaking out on this crucial issue to our national security and world peace.

[MagisterLudi]

Thank you President Carter for speaking out. And now run along back to your church.

[Sylmason]

I simply lov e this man. President Carter is THE most humble Christian man of all presidents to have ev er been in the WH. His human rights b id is amazing. The media tried to paint him ols, waco, out of touch, anti-semitic because he believes every man, regardless of race, religion, or beliefs should be treated equal. What a guy.............................. What a mighty god-fearing guy. I have a couple of books, and one he autographed. He basically speaks about how doing the right thing by people is all hes interested in and is what he believes God wants all of us to do. God bless you President Carter.

[MagisterLudi]

Hallelujah, give me an amen. Praise Jewsis and the hosts.

[Justtellthetruth]

God Bless you (former) President Carter. God Bless you.

[MagisterLudi]

What is this, a B-aptist convention? Common people, stop with this god nonsense.

[who38]

Since Carter is being blessed, you can bet it's not a Hadassah event.

[newdates]

A man of integrity, as he gets older with more experiences and historical apprehension, his oppinions of peace on Middle East are well respected and workable. Let's hope Presdient can resonate Jimmy Carter's wisdom and bring peace to the world. One thing for sure, Israel has to make positive moves soon.

[jazzman]

We stuck a Jewish State in the middle of a hornets nest, armed it to the teeth, and now we must find the way to peace. It will never be easy because the emergence of the Israeli State was really an unnatural imposition of a foreign culture that had been long gone for centuries and completely transformed back into the midst of a population that had developed its own culture and followed its own evolutionary path.

The U.S. needs to get fully engaged in the peace process because nothing is going to happen without an Heruclean effort by the world community. Meanwhile, tensions keep increasing that could eventually end up negatively impacting the whole world.

[fussygorilla]

jazzman.

Am I rightly guessing that you are British? hints from using "an" instead of "a" before H. and also stating "we stuck....." We being the British.

[zaz33]

Well put jazzman - It saddens me to hear stories of Jews having to leave a good life in a Muslim country because of the European Zionist migration.

Imagine what the Middle East would look like today had it not been for oil under their sand and the state of Israel.

Thank you Jimmy Carter for telling the other side of the story - and the truth

[chaos4700]

I wouldn't read into it too much... "we" could just as easily apply to the US as it does to Great Britain.

That said, you (jazzman) have it right on the money. I remember growing up and not understanding what Israel was or where it came from, and my questions on the topic really weren't answered until I graduated into college and had the resources to answer the questions for myself. I find it shocking how much disinformation and revision there is on the history of that region as it is presented in mainstream American discourse.

[tiradintim]

Just one other issue where Dubya has shown no leadership whatsoever....one area where he could have had some kind of "legacy" but was a total wimp....at least Carter had some real courage and vision here (so there, you numbnuts who think Carter was worse than Bush)

[charlietuna11]

carter had a difficult presidency.some problems his fault,some not. but indisputable is the fact that pres. carter is by far the greatest ex president ever. his charity work, his travels to foreigh lands to observe free elections are inspireing. he does not fear the risks of telling the truth. i.e.his recent book about aparteid. his courage is endless. a military naval veteran who will not back down from the likes of aipac,dersowitz and the israel firsters.i didn
t vote for him either time he ran but i would in a heart beat today. for people who have never worked in a senate or congressional office, let me tell you first hand, you can't in your wildest dreams realize the pressure these govt. officials receive daily from aipac and other jewish groups.to express that america bring a fair and balanced policy to the middle east is a death wish. these lobbies are not illegal but the undue pressure does our nation and israel great harm. again carter brings great experiance and stature to the debates. our country would be so much greater if there were more jimmy carters and fewer people like bush/cheney/dersowitz/and dennis ross...

[fussygorilla]

charlietuna.

Right on! Glad to hear somebody say it as it is. But......how can this situation be changed? I also, as an academic teching at a university tried to teach the historical facts and suffered the pressures of my city's jewish community harrassment ( push to deny tenure). these groups and organizations are in all communities controlling information.

[TMFCO]

Perhaps the real reason you had problems with tenure is your spelling and grammar. Mr. Carter was a miserable failure as president. His presidential problems were not the results of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, atheists, or rampaging rabbits... they were his. What you might ask is... who is donating funds to Mr. Carter's foundation and what are the expected paybacks.

[tiradintim]

Well, look at all the trouble Mearsheimer and Walt had with their book. They couldn't even get interviews in this country after it had been published. And then there was that play,"My Name is Rachel Corrie"--the only way they could get a performance in NYC was hidden in some little hole in the Village for only a few performances. Naturally it was totally savaged by the NY Times critic after it opened there

[courageunderfire]

Jimmy Carter is a stellar human being and while his years as president were fraught with much difficulty, he is a person I hold so much respect for.
I often think of where we would be if we had kept the conservation going with gas/oil during his administration?
God Bless you Jimmy Carter!

[GeorgeP922]

The DNC has alot to make up to this man.

We stood idly by and let not just the GOP, but the DLC and other wannabe Democrats trash this man all year long.

We collectivly through alot of people under the bus this year, but this man was our former president and he is treated so poorly it makes me sick.

[TomPaine07]

I rermember Carter's Presidency with its double digit inflation and empowerment of Iranian radical Islam with his inept handling of the prolonged hostage situation. Shouldn't this guy be back on the peanut farm in Georgia? For someone with all the answers he certainly botched his Presidency and was directly responsible for years of Republican rule and runination of the country.

[FrancesP]

I agree. He was the only Democrat that I voted against (on his second term).

[GeorgeP922]

Wow you voted for Regan?

I bet you feel stupid, recessions, nuclear escalation, Afganistan etc etc.

Can't believe the amount of DLC'er and GOP'ers flocking to this site.

[jazzman]

Well if you voted for Reagan you voted for the man who set us on the path of de-regulated, supply side economics, arming Islamic militants, propping up Saddam Hussein, and selling arms to Iran that are the root cause of all of our problems today. So maybe you're proud of yourself for not voting for Carter but history has proved you to be wrong. So I wouldn't brag about your vote if I were you.

[GeorgeP922]

Wow, bitter much?

Ever consider the DNC's lack of spine, money, or future?

We lost because WE let the GOP take the military and national security framing away from us.

Also the racist southern strategy the GOP used in which they embraced racism to win the south took decades and a man named Barack Obama to change that.

Don't worry, the GOP will come back one day.

[who38]

As DLC Democrats?

[Prattvictory2]

I remember the effort to free us of our dependence on foreign oil. I remember the only meaningful peace agreement in the middle east. I remember him standing up to an unnecessary arms buildup. I remember him being saddled with a post Vietnam economy. I remember the oil embargo.

I don't remember Jimmy Carter being at the controls of any of the aircraft during the botched rescue attempt, but it was long ago. Carter OK'd the mission after being assured it could succeed by the military.

[fussygorilla]

Tompaine,
are you posting from Israel, or just for Israel?

[rwhitesf]

And why should that matter? Should I ask where you are writing "from" or "for?" Civil discourse means engaging on the merits of someone's comments. I, too, lived through Jimmy Carter's Presidency and it was no pleasure. Camp David aside (and I don't mean to minimize it), the country went through some pretty tough times and his judgment was questionable on a host of issues. He also was amazingly ineffective considering that he had a Democratic majority in Congress throughout his term. And I'm writing from San Francisco, not that it matters.

[Merckx]

You mean the hostage situation where no hostages died, we didn't go to war and it ended peacefully?

[YouThinkAndTalk]

Yes, that, when Reagan made a deal with the Iranians.

[zookie]

President Carter....a decent, honest, intelligent man of principle. If we had followed his lead in his attempts to make peace between Israel and Palestine, this whole world would be different today. Every president since Carter has kow-towed to Israel...at the expense of the Palestinians who have been waiting for their homeland since 1948....meanwhile living in camps, beseiged by Israeli settlers ever gaining more of Palestinian land, and trying to make an existence in what is generously called a city....Gaza...nothing more than another camp where Israel controls their electricity, their freedom to travel, is laying seige and prohibiting food to enter and the list goes on.
Until the Palestinian-Israeli peace accord is accomplishment....the entire Arab world, which consists of Christian Arabs as well as Muslims will remain our enemy....and we will pay for it in many ways.
I hope Obama, although there is little evidence that he will by his appointments to date, realize the importance of an accord and work to achieve it very quickly.

[Manchurian]

Our unwillingness to break the horrific siege of Gaza is simply shameful. Major world powers (those capable of defending themselves against Israeli aggression) should be sending ships of food, oil and medicine to help end the criminal collective persecution of the Palestinians by Israel. Can none of our leaders, save for Jimmy Carter, empathize with the plight of the Palestinians?

[who38]

I agree. Why isn't the US trying to break the blockade? Some country should be trying to do that on a daily basis? Wonder what influence an improvement in the Gaza economy would have on its politics. We will never know until the blockade is ended.

[max]

here's a man that history will be good to. He saw our problems long before we did and tried to do something about it.

[nolabels]

Absolutely

[bwilder]

An admirable man with a sincere desire to make the world a better place.

I pray that our new administration will use the next eight years to bring some
constructuve help to the middle east peace process. Our place in the world
and our security as a nation would be hugely impacted if we could play a part
in helping to make a lasting peace in the region.