At Brandeis, Carter Responds to Critics - New York Times
The New York Times

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January 24, 2007
At Brandeis, Carter Responds to Critics
By
PAM BELLUCK

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 23 - In his first major public speech about his
controversial book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," former President
Jimmy Carter
told an audience at Brandeis University on Tuesday that he stood by the
book and its title, that he apologized for what he called an "improper and
stupid"
sentence in the book and that he had been disturbed by accusations that he
was anti-Semitic.

Although controversy had preceded his visit here, Mr. Carter was greeted
with a standing ovation and treated with obvious respect by the audience,
even
as students asked questions that were critical of his assertions.

"This is the first time that I've ever been called a liar and a bigot and an
anti-Semite and a coward and a plagiarist," Mr. Carter told the crowd of
about
1,700 at Brandeis, a nonsectarian university founded by American Jews, where
about half the students are Jewish. "This is hurting me."

He added, "The fact that they deteriorate into ad hominem attacks on my
character has probably been a greater barrier to progress than the fact that
I chose
a particular word in the title."

Mr. Carter said he realized his use of the word "apartheid" "has caused
great concern in the Jewish community." He said he had used it "knowing that
it
would be provocative." He said he had intended to describe conditions not in
Israel
but in the occupied Palestinian territories, and had not meant to "equate
Zionism with racism," but to point out "that this cruel oppression is
contrary
to the tenets of the Jewish religious faith and contrary to the basic
principles of the state of Israel."

But he said a sentence in which he seemed to suggest that Palestinians would
not have to end their suicide bombings and acts of terrorism until Israel
withdraws
from the territories "was worded in a completely improper and stupid way,"
adding: "I have written my publisher to change that sentence immediately. I
apologize to you personally, to everyone here."

While many students and professors said they disagreed with elements of the
book, they said they welcomed the opportunity to hear Mr. Carter.

"I'm happy to have a contrary viewpoint, I'm happy to have a former
president, I'm happy to have controversy," said Daniele Kohn, 21, a fine
arts major,
who asked Mr. Carter why, in a television interview, he had seemed to
suggest that the Palestinian condition was worse than the Rwandan genocide.
(Mr.
Carter responded that he had not meant to suggest that.) "I think this
school hasn't gotten publicly upset in far too long."

Mr. Carter's book has prompted criticism from many American Jews and some
Middle East experts, who say it contains factual errors and misrepresents
the
role of both the Israelis and the Palestinians. In addition to the word
apartheid, with its implication that Israel's actions resemble the racist
policies
of South Africa, these critics object to Mr. Carter's assertion that Israel
has committed human rights abuses against the Palestinians, that pro-Israel
lobbyists have stifled debate in the United States and that American
newspaper editorials are overwhelmingly pro-Israel.

The book prompted the resignations of 14 of Atlanta's business and civic
leaders from the Carter Center's advisory board. Kenneth W. Stein, a
professor
at
Emory University
who was the first executive director at the Carter Center, resigned his
position as a fellow there in December. And
Dennis Ross
, a former envoy to the Middle East who is now a news analyst, has accused
Mr. Carter of using maps that Mr. Ross created without his permission, and
mislabeling
them in the book, accusations Mr. Carter has denied.

Mr. Carter initially rejected an invitation to speak at Brandeis because it
suggested that he debate
Alan M. Dershowitz
, a
Harvard
law professor who has sharply criticized the book. Wanting the university
to welcome contrary views, more than 100 students and faculty members signed
a petition contending that Mr. Carter should be invited without conditions.
Questions were preselected by the committee that invited Mr. Carter, and the
questioners included an Israeli student and a Palestinian student.

After Mr. Carter left, Mr. Dershowitz spoke in the same gymnasium, saying
that the former president oversimplified the situation and that his
conciliatory
and sensible-sounding speech at Brandeis belied his words in some other
interviews.

"There are two different Jimmy Carters," Mr. Dershowitz said. "You heard the
Brandeis Jimmy Carter today, and he was terrific. I support almost
everything
he said. But if you listen to the
Al Jazeera
Jimmy Carter, you'll hear a very different perspective."

Mr. Carter started his Brandeis speech by calling it "the most exciting
invitation" he had received since his inaugural address 30 years ago, and
enumerating
his years of pro-Israel stances and involvement in the Middle East peace
process.

Responding to one of the criticisms of him, he said: "I have never claimed
or believed that American Jews control the news media. That is ridiculous to
claim." He said "a lot of support for Israel comes from Christians like me
who have been taught since they were 3 years old to honor and protect God's
chosen people from whom came people like our Christian Savior, Jesus
Christ."

But he said he believed there was too little willingness in Congress and
elsewhere to debate or accept his premise that "Israel will never find peace
until
it is willing to withdraw from its neighbors' land and permit the
Palestinians to exercise their basic human and political rights."

Despite the warm and dignified welcome, several students said they were
disturbed by the book and Mr. Carter's conclusions.

"He did some great work in the past," said David Kuperstein, a junior, but
"it has made me a little bit angry, the unfounded skew and bias that he
specifically
shows in his book toward Israel."

Katie Zezima contributed reporting.

Copyright 2007
The New York Times Company

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