Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
The narrative often promoted by mainstream media presents Israel as the leading democracy in the Middle East, despite its apartheid-like structure. When a regime practices apartheid, it contradicts the principles of democracy, redefining itself not as a democratic entity, but simply as an apartheid system.
Jimmy Carter, the former US President, wrote a book titled "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." The title itself reveals the essence of an apartheid system, as Carter illuminates and underscores the nature of a regime that mirrors nothing short of an apartheid state.
"When I met with Yasir Arafath in 1990, he stated, "The PLO has never advocated the annihilation of Israel. The Zionists started the 'drive the Jews into the sea' slogan and attributed it to the PLO. In 1969 we said we wanted to establish a democratic state where Jews, Christians, and Muslims can all live together. The Zionists said they do not choose to live with any people other than Jews....". - Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter.
It's evident who strongly opposed coexistence and moved toward establishing an autocratic apartheid state. It reveals the fabrication of racist statements, often attributed to opponents to smear their reputation in the public eye. Today's mainstream media frequently engages in this practice.
"Although Christian and Muslim Arabas had continued to live in this same land since Roman times, they had no real commitment to establish a separate and independent nation. Their concern was with family and tribe and, for the Muslims, the broader world of Islam.Strong ideas of nationhood began to take shape among the Arabs only when they saw increasing numbers of Zionists immigrate to Palestine, buying tracts of land for permanent homes with the goal of establishing their own nation." - Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter.
Muslims and Christians coexisted in Palestine since the Roman Empire without experiencing division or aspirations to establish a nation limited to a specific religion. Carter highlights that Muslims were the ones who notably treated Jews far better when they were expelled from Christian lands.
"Despite their remarkable contributions in all aspects of society, many Jews were killed and others driven from place to place by Christian rulers. Although not given the same rights as Muslims, both Christians and Jews who lived in Islamic countries then fared better than non-Christians in Christendom" - Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter.
In his book, former President Jimmy Carter explains the rationale behind the fair treatment of Jews and Christians -
"Because the Prophet Muhammad commanded his followers to recognize the common origins of their faith through Abraham, to honor their prophets, and to protect their believers." - Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter.
In stark contrast to the fair treatment of Jews in Muslim countries, Carter recounts in his book the unequal treatment of Palestinians by Israeli authorities, depicting a situation where Palestinians were treated as less than human. His firsthand experience might explain why the book is titled "Peace Not Apartheid."
At the end of the book, Carter emphasizes the essential necessity for peace like this -
"The 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, the Roadmap for Peace, official American policy, the wishes of the majority of its own citizens, and honor its own previous commitments—by accepting its legal borders." - Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter.
As someone once remarked, fixating on a solitary pixel of an image, making assumptions, and reacting impulsively is unjust. An image contains thousands of pixels. Stepping back from that single pixel allows you to see the entire picture, grasping what's known as the bigger picture.
The mainstream media and their influential platforms are attempting to magnify couple of pixels in the seventy-five years of Palestine's history. This approach is unfair and unjust to the entirety of history. Examining the complete picture will reveal who has consistently impeded a peaceful two-state solution and, consequently, peace.
Let's turn the title of this book into a catchy slogan - Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
Abu Abdul Mannaan
