Carter received a welcoming standing ovation and plenty of agreeable laughter at some of his comments.Posted on 05/03/2007 3:44:26 PM PDT by SmithL
To bring about peace in the Middle East, the United States needs to play a more prominent leadership role, and Israel must allow Palestinians to regain control of the West Bank, former President Carter told a packed audience at UC Berkeley on Wednesday afternoon.
"The bottom line is this: Israel will never find peace until it is willing to withdraw from its neighbor's land," he said. "And the hostility toward Americans throughout the Islamic world is directly related to the continued bloodshed between Israel and Palestine and the (United States') lack of effort to bring peace to that region."
Carter spoke to nearly 2,000 people -- mostly UC Berkeley students -- gathered at Zellerbach Hall to promote his new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."
His book puts much of the conflict's blame on Israel, saying if it refrained from colonizing the West Bank that the region would have lasting peace. The use of the word "apartheid" in the title has angered many Jews.
Carter's visit to Berkeley prompted dozens of supporters and protesters to carry around flags and signs before his speech.
"His implication is that Israel is responsible for every single thing that happens to the Palestinians," said Michelle Reardon, a board member with the Sacramento chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
"President Carter is a man I once respected, but for him to say that Israel is in an apartheid state is devastating."
One of Carter's fans, Jane Courant of Oakland, said the 39th president wasn't afraid to find fault with Israel, something too few Jews have felt all along.
"Jews are fearful of criticizing Israel," she said, carrying a sign that said Carter supported Jewish values. "My hope is these two peoples (Palestinians and Israelis) with common histories can overcome all the hate and revenge."
During his hourlong speech, Carter defended his use of the phrase "apartheid," saying it applied only to the Palestinian territories.
"I wrote this book to understand the plight of the Palestinians," he said. "I was convinced we needed a debate of where we are going.
"Without bragging about it, few people on Earth have had a greater opportunity than I to understand and have relationships with nearly every leader who has served there in the last 30 years."
Carter received a welcoming standing ovation and plenty of agreeable laughter at some of his comments.
When a moderator asked what his hopes for Middle East peace were under the Bush administration, he replied, "Practically none." He noted there were "628 days and approximately 15 hours" until Bush leaves the White House.
Carter also gave a couple of nods to UC Berkeley. Of his six recent college campus speeches, he called this one "the most important of all." He catered to the young audience, offering a brief history of his 1970s peace efforts "for those of you who weren't even born when I was president."
And he thanked a Berkeley student for allowing him to borrow a blue-and-gold striped tie. Before the speech, the student teased Carter for showing up in a red tie, the school color of rival Stanford.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau wrapped up the session by asking the audience for a response to a poll question: How many think we should draft Jimmy Carter to run again for president?
Nearly every attendee applauded.
But Carter had already answered the question earlier. "Al Gore would be the best qualified to be president, but I'm afraid he's not going to run," Carter said. "I asked him to run a few times for 2008 and he said he wouldn't run. He asked me if I would run and I said, 'No.'"
He’d also be welcomed in places far to the right of Berkeley. ......like Cuba and Venezuela.
Is Carter obsessive about hatred of Bush? He’s counting down the days and hours until Bush’s term expires????
Well knock me down with a spliff, mon.
We need the Captain Obvious pic for this headline..
Comrade Carter is always welcome in anti-American communist camps.
Between Carter and Bush, its a tough call whose term is going to expire first.
Karter...Berkley.....=Ham and eggs
“The bottom line is this: Israel will never find peace until it is willing to withdraw from its neighbor’s land,” he said
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The problem is that Carter and the Palestinians consider the whole of Israel to be their land.
The only way Israel can have peace is if they cease to exist according to dipstick Carter.
It is hard to believe Carter could pack an house ,even in Berkely.
“He noted there were “628 days and approximately 15 hours” until Bush leaves the White House.”
Well, damn Jimmah, that’s 184 days longer that you let the hostages enjoy their stay in Iran.
My contempt for carter knows no bounds.
Having said that, does anyone else find the photo, weird, disturbing and troubling. It looks like he has no neck, and that his head is somehow displaced on one side. Very strange.
bttt
It’s the later stages of rabbit-bite fever.
I was thinking “Night of the Living Dead” or perhaps “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” but I guess they’re all pretty much equivalent. Paging George Romero, Mr. George Romero.
Of course they do.
HHC’s husband.
gollum.
I’m counting down to the day Carter expires.
Next time I’ll get the caption centered under the picture.
Bush Derangement Syndrome.
In other words, Carter is nuts.
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