14 Carter Center Advisers Resign, Citing Book About Palestine
By Jason Kelly and Mary Jane Credeur
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) — Fourteen advisers to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s center for human rights resigned today, citing his stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Former Presidential adviser S. Stephen Selig III and Caribou Coffee Co. Chief Executive Officer Michael Coles were among the resigning members of the Board of Councilors to the Carter Center.
They quit the Atlanta-based organization in reaction to Carter’s book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” as well as his statements since its publication last year. Carter portrays the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a “purely one-sided affair,” with Israel holding all of the responsibility for resolving it, they say.
What is disappointing in this is that these are only 14 of the more than 200 members of the Board of Councilors. Others, such as Arthur Blank, founder of Home Depot Inc. are only saying this:
“The book and the tone of the interviews that I have seen since its publication distress me and many others whose views I respect,” Blank said in the statement, which was e-mailed to Bloomberg News. “I’m not prepared to discuss what, if any, actions I might take related to President Carter’s book or the public reactions to it.”
