Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

Overview
Jimmy Carter’s 2006 book argues that a just and durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians is both necessary and achievable, but blocked by an entrenched occupation that fragments Palestinian territory and by cycles of violence that corrode trust. Drawing on decades of diplomatic experience and repeated visits to the region, he contends that the policies governing Palestinians in the occupied territories resemble a system of separation that he terms “apartheid,” while emphasizing that Israeli citizens inside Israel proper live under a different, democratic order. The book combines narrative, policy analysis, and moral appeal to chart a path back to negotiated peace grounded in international law.

Historical Background and Personal Lens
Carter situates his perspective in the legacy of the Camp David Accords and the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, where he saw how security assurances, territorial compromise, and respect for dignity could be reconciled. He recounts subsequent negotiations, from Madrid and Oslo to the Clinton Parameters, noting advances and breakdowns. His personal meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, human rights advocates, and families affected by the conflict supply the book’s texture and sustain his conviction that the majority on both sides prefer compromise over domination or perpetual resistance.

Occupation, Settlements, and the “Apartheid” Analogy
At the core is a critique of settlement expansion, land expropriation, and a network of bypass roads, checkpoints, and the separation barrier that, when routed deep inside the West Bank, carve Palestinian areas into isolated enclaves. Carter argues that this regime produces two systems of movement, access, and law, one for settlers and another for Palestinians, that deny basic freedoms and undercut prospects for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state. He condemns suicide bombings and rocket attacks as immoral and politically self-defeating, yet holds that they cannot justify measures that collectively punish civilians or permanently alter occupied land.

Peace Efforts and Missed Opportunities
The book revisits turning points where negotiations faltered: the unraveling of Oslo amid escalating violence, the failed 2000 summit and the outbreak of the Second Intifada, and unilateral moves such as the Gaza disengagement that, without coordinated agreements, left core issues unresolved. Carter highlights unofficial frameworks like the Geneva Initiative and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative as evidence that workable parameters already exist: withdrawal to lines close to 1967 with equitable land swaps, shared or divided sovereignty in Jerusalem, security guarantees, and a just resolution of refugees through a combination of return, resettlement, and compensation.

Role of the United States and International Law
Carter insists that U.S. policy must shift from reflexive alignment to evenhanded mediation anchored in UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the Fourth Geneva Convention. He argues that American credibility depends on conditioning aid and diplomatic backing on compliance with negotiated commitments by all parties and on condemning violence against civilians without exception. He criticizes political pressures that narrow debate in the United States, contending that open discussion is vital for effective diplomacy.

A Practical Framework for Peace
The proposed path is straightforward: mutual recognition of Israel’s right to live in peace and security alongside a sovereign, contiguous Palestinian state; an end to occupation and settlement expansion; international monitors to verify compliance; and coordinated security arrangements to prevent attacks. Carter urges engagement with elected Palestinian representatives contingent on renunciation of violence and acceptance of prior agreements, arguing that exclusion hardens positions and weakens moderates. He calls on Israel to align the separation barrier with the Green Line or negotiate its route, halt land seizures, and ease restrictions that stifle daily life and economic development.

Purpose and Tone
The narrative blends empathy for Israeli fears and trauma with sustained attention to Palestinian suffering and disenfranchisement. Carter’s use of “apartheid” is intended to sound an alarm about a system of separation in the occupied territories and to press both sides, supported by an active international community, toward a political settlement that secures rights, safety, and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike.