Sunday 18 March 2007

Jimmy Carter's new book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid is reviewed by controversial author Antony Loewenstein in The Sun-Herald. An earlier review of the same book, again by Loewenstein, appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald on 6 March.

Loewenstein is getting plenty of room in the mainstream press. "Peace will never be achieved, [Carter] argues, until the occupation mind-set is buried forever."

Although Carter is correct in condemning Palestinian suicide bombing, he acknowledges that extremists on both sides will only be marginalised when honest negotiations take place.

There is a growing awareness of the undesirability of Israeli policies vis a vis the occupied territories, especially the West Bank. Loewenstein's own book, My Israel Question was launched here recently.

And then there's Independent Australian Jewish Voices, which has been garnering plenty of coverage in the mainstream press, including a story written by Loewenstein (who helped establish the group) and published in The Sydney Morning Herald which, like The Sun-Herald, is owned by Fairfax.

I reviewed journalist Peter Manning's book Us and Them yesterday. It deals with the same issues.

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