Carter

The thirty-ninth President of the United States is a professed Christian, and bases his insights and conclusions on the background of his faith. Considering the fact that we all do this in some shape or form, I was impressed that he simply admitted it outright. Although I did not agree with all of his observations and beliefs in his book, I do respect his ability to write what he sees as truth, putting all of his cards on the table, and his repeated attempts for a peaceful solution in such a volatile area.

According to Carter, "There are two interrelated obstacles to permanent peace in the Middle East: 1. Some Israelis believe they have the right to confiscate and colonize Arab land and try to justify the sustained subjugation and persecution of increasingly hopeless and aggravated Palestinians; and 2. Some Palestinians react by honoring suicide bombers as martyrs to be rewarded in heaven and consider the killing of Israelis as victories."

Carter believes that the United States has all but abandoned the effort for serious peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and so it is basically up to "the International Quartet to implement its Roadmap for Peace. "For this to occur, there are three key requirements: "1. The security of Israel must be guaranteed. 2. The internal debate within Israel must be resolved in order to define Israel’s permanent legal boundary. 3. The sovereignty of all Middle East nations and sanctity of international borders must be honored."

Carter holds to his old opinion that the people want peace, it’s the leaders that are in the way. He offers proof of this idea with public opinion surveys, "Over the years, public opinion surveys have consistently shown that a majority of Israelis favor withdrawing from Palestinian territory in exchange for peace, and recent polls show that 80 percent of Palestinians still want a two-state peace agreement with Israel, with nearly 70 percent supporting the moderate Mahmoud Abbas as their president and spokesperson."

Carter’s bottom line is this: "Peace will come to Israel and the Middle East only when the Israeli government is willing to comply with international law, with the Roadmap for Peace, with official American policy, with the wishes of a majority of its own citizens-and honor its own previous commitments-by accepting its legal borders. All Arab neighbors must pledge to honor Israel’s right to live in peace under these conditions." But, however eloquent and reasonable as his proposal seems to be, I for one can never accept it, and I can’t see it ever being truly accepted for any more than a decade.