Jimmy Carter's New Book: Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (1/11)

Ever since its publication this past November, former President Jimmy Carter's new book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, has been the subject of controversy and criticism, much of it about the title, itself. This Thursday evening, we will see for ourselves what all the fuss is about. We have chosen the book, and the reaction to it, as the subject of this week's IIF discussion.

As usual, I am sending along some background information:

At about the time of the book's publication, Norman Finkelstein, an author and a professor of political science at DePaul University in Chicago, provided these excerpts:
Peace Not Apartheid: Jimmy Carter's Roadmap
This should be helpful to those of you who have not yet been able to read the entire book.

Shortly thereafter, this harshly critical op/ed piece by Alan Dershowitz was published in The New York Sun:
The World According to Carter

In late November, Carter discussed his book at an event in Virginia, in the D.C. area. Here is a transcript of his remarks:
Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid...Jimmy Carter In His Own Words

The criticism continued to mount:
Carter Book on Israel 'Apartheid' Sparks Bitter Debate


The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles issued a statement condemning the book as completely lacking objectivity:
SWC Criticizes President Carter's Bias Towards Israel

Professor Kenneth Stein of Emory University, the first Executive Director of the Carter Center, severed his long-term association with the Center over the book, which he characterized as "replete with factual errors, copied materials not cited, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments":
Historian Severs Ties with Carter Center Over Distorted Book
See also the website of Emory University's Institute for the Study of Modern Israel (www.ismi.emory.edu) for Professor Ken Stein's in-depth assessment of the Carter book.

Dennis Ross, envoy to the Middle East in the Clinton administration, commenting on charges that Carter had used maps from Ross's book, The Missing Peace, without permission or attribution, explained that he was more concerned that the maps were used in a misleading way:
Don't Play With Maps

This critical review by Jeff Goldberg, a staff writer at The New Yorker was published in The Washington Post:
What Would Jimmy Do?

Additional opinion pieces were penned in The Washington Post by Michael Kinsley and in The National Review by Rich Lowry:
It's Not Apartheid
Creepy Carter: Ex-presidential madness

Carter answered his critics in interviews on a number of television programs. Here is one from the NewsHour on PBS:
Newsmaker Interview | Jimmy Carter

This op/ed piece by Carter was originally published in the Los Angeles Times:
Speaking frankly about Israel and Palestine

Here is a transcript of an interview Carter did with Robbie Brown, of The Wheel, Emory University's student newspaper:
President Defends New Book Against Charges of Bias, Falsehood

And the Carter Center issued this letter about the book to the Jewish community:
Jimmy Carter Issues Letter to Jewish Community on Palestine Peace Not Apartheid

Last Sunday The New York Times: published this "long-awaited and largely critical review of the book written by Times Deputy Foreign Editor Ethan Bronner":
Jews, Arabs and Jimmy Carter

Here is a transcript of a debate about the book that aired Monday on Democracy Now:
Debate: Norman Finkelstein vs. Gil Troy On Jimmy Carter's Controversial Book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid"

Here are two positive articles on Carter's book, from The Nation:
Get Carter
Hurricane Carter

Carter's Arab Financiers

This article by Jay Bookman originally appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Anti-Semitism Label Confines Open Debate

Mass resignation from Carter Center