Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on AIPAC, Palestine and Israel

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on AIPAC, Palestine and Israel

Dec. 24, 2023

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says "Americans don't want to know and many Israelis don't want to know what is going on inside Palestine. It's a terrible human rights persecution..."

In his first interview with Democracy Now!, former President Jimmy Carter talks about what led him to write "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid", his controversial book that argues Israel's settlements in the Occupied Territories are the main barrier to peace.

Sept. 10, 2007

JIMMY CARTER: Americans don't want to know and many Israelis don't want to know what is going on inside Palestine. It's a terrible human rights persecution that far transcends what any outsider would imagine. And there are powerful political forces in America that prevent any objective analysis of the problem in the holy land. I think it's accurate to say that not a single member of Congress with whom I'm familiar would possibly speak out and call for Israel to withdraw to their legal boundaries or to publicize the plight of the Palestinians or even to call publicly and repeatedly for good faith peace talks. There hasn't been a day of peace talks now in more than seven years. So this is a taboo subject. And I would say that if any member of Congress did speak out, as I've just described, they would probably not be back in the Congress the next term.

AMY GOODMAN: Who are these forces that you're talking about?

JIMMY CARTER: Well, there's an inherent commitment in America, which I share as a Christian, of a deep commitment to make sure that Israel is safe and that Israel is free and that they can seek for peace. So there's a strong inclination for all of us to support Israel's continued existence in peace. And that is added onto by the very effective work of the American Israeli group called AIPAC, which is performing its completely legitimate task of convincing Americans to support the policies of the Israeli government. And AIPAC is not dedicated to peace. They're dedicated to inducing the maximum support in America, in the White House, in the Congress and in the public media, for whatever policies the Israeli government has at a particular time. And they're extremely effective.

Original: https://youtu.be/vv0ROgv0kTk

This video is from: https://www.democracynow.org.

Original with Transcript: https://www.democracynow.org/2007/9/10/fmr_president_jimmy_carter_on_palestine

https://www.democracynow.org/2007/9/10/fmr_president_jimmy_carter_on_palestine

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/former-us-president-jimmy-carter-says-benjamin-netanyahu-has-never-believed-in-a-two-state-solution-for-israel-and-palestine-10222582.html

https://informationclearinghouse.blog/2023/12/24/former-us-president-jimmy-carter-on-aipac-palestine-and-israel/comment-page-1/