Jimmy Carter

===Israel and Palestine===
{{Further|Commentary on Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid|Israel and apartheid}}
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Carter's ''[[Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid]],'' a [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' Best Seller]] book, published in 2006, generated controversy for characterizing Israel's policies in the [[Israeli-occupied territories|Israeli-occupied]] [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]] as amounting to [[apartheid]].<ref>Craig Daigle, "Beyond Camp David: Jimmy Carter, Palestinian Self-Determination, and Human Rights." ''Diplomatic History'' 42.5 (2018): 802-830.</ref> In an interview, Carter defined apartheid as the "forced separation of two peoples in the same territory with one of the groups dominating or controlling the other."<ref name="NYTIP">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/books/14cart.html|title=Carter Book Stirs Furor With Its View of Israelis' 'Apartheid'|work=The New York Times|date=December 14, 2006|access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> In remarks broadcast over radio, he said that Israel's policies amounted to an apartheid worse than South Africa's:<ref name="HAIP">{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/2006-12-11/ty-article/jimmy-carter-israels-apartheid-policies-worse-than-south-africas/0000017f-db7c-d3a5-af7f-fbfea0530000|title=Jimmy Carter: Israel's 'Apartheid' Policies Worse Than South Africa's|work=Haaretz|access-date=February 19, 2023|date=November 12, 2006}}</ref>

{{cquote|When Israel does occupy this territory deep within the West Bank, and connects the 200-or-so settlements with each other, with a road, and then prohibits the Palestinians from using that road, or in many cases even crossing the road, this perpetrates even worse instances of apartness, or apartheid, than we witnessed even in South Africa.<ref name="HAIP"/>
}}

Some accused Carter of [[antisemitism]]. He defended his arguments and said, "the hope is that my book will at least stimulate a debate, which has not existed in this country. There's never been any debate on this issue, of any significance."<ref name="HAIP"/> He expressed his opinion that Israel will not have peace until it agrees to withdraw from the [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied territories]], adding, "the greatest commitment in my life has been trying to bring peace to Israel."<ref name="HAIP"/> The comparisons of [[Israel and apartheid]] drew widespread traction in the early 2020s, after [[Amnesty International]], [[Human Rights Watch]] and other Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights groups issued reports characterizing Israel's policies as apartheid.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/05/amnesty-israel-apartheid-israeli-politicians-agree|title=Amnesty says Israel is an apartheid state. Many Israeli politicians agree|work=The Guardian|access-date=February 19, 2023|date=February 5, 2022}}</ref>

In his 2010 book ''[[We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land]]'', Carter cites Israel's unwillingness to withdraw from the territories and [[Israeli settlements|settlement expansion]] as the primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/library/carterbi.phtml |title=Books written by President and Mrs. Carter |website=jimmycarterlibrary.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012000917/http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/library/carterbi.phtml |archive-date=October 12, 2004}}</ref>