WASHINGTON, March 9 (UPI) -- Former President Jimmy Carter continued to defend his use of the word "apartheid" to describe the plight of Palestinians under the Israelis on the Gaza Strip.
Carter addressed students and staff at the George Washington University Thursday to promote his book, "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid," which analyzes the current situation in the Middle East.
Defining apartheid as forced segregation and oppression within a territory, Carter said that "is exactly what is taking place on the West Bank." Unlike the apartheid of South Africa, Carter said, this oppression is not based on race, but instead a desire to confiscate Palestinian land.
Carter said he chose the word "very carefully," with much "trepidation" from his publishers."
One student questioned whether Carter would have changed any part of his book in light of the fact that critics have "picked apart" his thesis and heavily criticized his writing.
"The book is necessary and absolutely accurate," answered Carter. "It at least has precipitated a debate in this country which has been lacking."
Meanwhile, the former president was also questioned about his seeming lack of criticism towards Saudi Arabia's human rights violations, and asked whether that was a result of the royal family's contributions to the Carter Center.
He insisted he does criticize Saudi Arabia, and only 2.7 percent of any contributions to the center come from anywhere in the Middle East.
