Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 1:01am
President Carter's courageous conviction
Column: Roll Down Like Water
Former President Jimmy Carter published a new book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last month, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." In it, he calls for renewed efforts to stop the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip - land illegally occupied by Israel since 1967.
Sure, there are flaws in his analogy: The Palestinian territories are not technically governed by an apartheid regime. But life isn't lived in technicalities. The Palestinian people live fractured lives of violence, malnutrition, poverty, and despair. Why? Because the state of Israel refuses to dismantle its system of oppression and pull its troops out of Palestinian land.
It is clear that Carter's sympathies lie with the Palestinians. His ire falls on Israel for its continued flouting of international law and President Bush for his utter neglect of the Middle East Peace Process. While the title of his book has drawn heavy fire from supporters of Israel, his characterization of the Palestinian plight offers a much-needed counterbalance to the skewed view of the conflict we get in the United States. Likewise, the firestorm created around the book's publication may light a fire under the moribund peace process.
For those reasons alone, I say more power to him. But it is more than that.
Does President Carter know something about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular and systems of oppression more generally? He certainly knows more than many of the soft-skinned pundits who have lined up to take potshots at him. Carter's passion for resolving the Palestinian conflict comes from growing up in a segregated South where the same system of harassment and repression reigned. His knowledge of the conflict is grounded in decades of hands-on, tireless work to reach a peaceful, mutually acceptable resolution.
Could one reasonably disagree with his approach? To be sure - if this conflict were an easy nut to crack, it would be resolved by now. But the Nobel Prize-winning former president of the United States has certainly earned the right to speak candidly about an issue that has captured his passion and dedicated service for over a quarter of a century. And as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict slips further off the Bush Administration's agenda at exactly the moment the situation in the occupied territories grows direr, he certainly has reason to speak loudly.
Are the Palestinians blameless? Of course not. Is Israel exclusively culpable for the violence there? No. But it is not wrong for him to stand up and say that oppression is unacceptable. The fact that Carter, at age 82, is still fighting for justice and freedom where he sees them compromised - not as a hawk but as a genuine peacemaker - is inspiring.
Unfortunately, many of the current generation of hawks and peacemakers are so weak we don't know what to do with real conviction when we see it. Some think that speaking the unpalatable truth of injustice will make settling the conflict more difficult — by labeling the situation "apartheid," Carter has inflamed an already volatile conflict, making it even more intractable. Maybe in the short run, but the entirety of history shows us that injustice festers in the darkness. Once exposed, it cannot survive for long.
I have always admired Jimmy Carter for his sincere commitment to Christ. He couples an unshakable love of Jesus with an unswerving commitment to follow Christ's example with his life. He has dedicated his life to ministering to the least, the last, and the lost. For all the preached piety we have today, Carter is a man who follows in the dirty, gritty, tiring footsteps of Jesus.
And for all the fuss that has been raised by his book, I don't imagine he is losing much sleep over speaking truth with conviction. If anyone should be losing sleep, it's those of us who meet truth with a sputtering, indignant whimper.
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Dr. Rebecca Johnson, is an assistant professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C., and is currently pursuing a masters of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary. Visit her website thatstarfish.com, or send an email to {email becky@thatstarfish.com}becky@thatstarfish.com{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Rebecca Johnson.
Sure, there are flaws in his analogy: The Palestinian territories are not technically governed by an apartheid regime. But life isn't lived in technicalities. The Palestinian people live fractured lives of violence, malnutrition, poverty, and despair. Why? Because the state of Israel refuses to dismantle its system of oppression and pull its troops out of Palestinian land.
It is clear that Carter's sympathies lie with the Palestinians. His ire falls on Israel for its continued flouting of international law and President Bush for his utter neglect of the Middle East Peace Process. While the title of his book has drawn heavy fire from supporters of Israel, his characterization of the Palestinian plight offers a much-needed counterbalance to the skewed view of the conflict we get in the United States. Likewise, the firestorm created around the book's publication may light a fire under the moribund peace process.
For those reasons alone, I say more power to him. But it is more than that.
Does President Carter know something about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular and systems of oppression more generally? He certainly knows more than many of the soft-skinned pundits who have lined up to take potshots at him. Carter's passion for resolving the Palestinian conflict comes from growing up in a segregated South where the same system of harassment and repression reigned. His knowledge of the conflict is grounded in decades of hands-on, tireless work to reach a peaceful, mutually acceptable resolution.
Could one reasonably disagree with his approach? To be sure - if this conflict were an easy nut to crack, it would be resolved by now. But the Nobel Prize-winning former president of the United States has certainly earned the right to speak candidly about an issue that has captured his passion and dedicated service for over a quarter of a century. And as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict slips further off the Bush Administration's agenda at exactly the moment the situation in the occupied territories grows direr, he certainly has reason to speak loudly.
Are the Palestinians blameless? Of course not. Is Israel exclusively culpable for the violence there? No. But it is not wrong for him to stand up and say that oppression is unacceptable. The fact that Carter, at age 82, is still fighting for justice and freedom where he sees them compromised - not as a hawk but as a genuine peacemaker - is inspiring.
Unfortunately, many of the current generation of hawks and peacemakers are so weak we don't know what to do with real conviction when we see it. Some think that speaking the unpalatable truth of injustice will make settling the conflict more difficult — by labeling the situation "apartheid," Carter has inflamed an already volatile conflict, making it even more intractable. Maybe in the short run, but the entirety of history shows us that injustice festers in the darkness. Once exposed, it cannot survive for long.
I have always admired Jimmy Carter for his sincere commitment to Christ. He couples an unshakable love of Jesus with an unswerving commitment to follow Christ's example with his life. He has dedicated his life to ministering to the least, the last, and the lost. For all the preached piety we have today, Carter is a man who follows in the dirty, gritty, tiring footsteps of Jesus.
And for all the fuss that has been raised by his book, I don't imagine he is losing much sleep over speaking truth with conviction. If anyone should be losing sleep, it's those of us who meet truth with a sputtering, indignant whimper.
— — —
Dr. Rebecca Johnson, is an assistant professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C., and is currently pursuing a masters of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary. Visit her website thatstarfish.com, or send an email to {email becky@thatstarfish.com}becky@thatstarfish.com{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Rebecca Johnson.