You always know who has the upper hand in a debate: It's the person who discusses the issue at hand calmly and simply sticks to straightforward facts to make his case, all without appearing overly vested in the outcome or resorting to petty insults.Now, many will argue that no such "debate" occurred last Tuesday evening when former President Jimmy Carter discussed his highly controversial book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid and was separately followed by Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz. As is blatantly clear in this case, a debate can successfully occur in the public forum without those involved ever directly speaking to each other.

Despite what some may believe, former President Jimmy Carter graced Brandeis with an open speech detailing his extensive experience with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and, alas, with the highly publicized discontent regarding his book. In fact, he even apologized several times for the notorious wording on page 213 of the book, which to some appeared to condone Palestinian terrorism against Israelis as an effective political tool.

Having read Carter's book, I lost count of the number of times in the first 40 pages alone that Carter clearly condemns the use of violence, calling the terrorist attacks "a course of action that is morally reprehensible and politically counterproductive." Poor wording aside, I find it hard to believe that anyone could honestly state that Carter stands firmly behind the use of Palestinian violence for political gain.

It is undeniable that this book fails to paint a rosy picture of both the Palestinian and Israeli involvement in the conflict. Yet who at this point in time truly believes that either side of this highly complex issue is completely innocent of wrongdoing? Certainly not the average Brandeis student.

Many students longed for a true debate between President Carter and Alan Dershowitz, believing it would be more educational than the arrangement that actually occurred. Yet these same students simply wanted the book, which presents one side of the conflict, to be entirely discredited and disregarded as an implausible and outright falsehood. A former president and Nobel Peace Prize recipient with enormous credentials in the Middle East is focusing the American people on the Israel government's treatment of the Palestinian people. His book should not be casually dismissed.

Clearly, those clamoring for a debate simply wanted to see Alan Dershowitz continue his name-calling and ad-hominem style of arguing for which he is infamous. That is not educational; that is a counter-productive form of reality theater that simply exacerbates the issue rather than attempting to resolve it.

It is time to come to the realization that innocent people on both sides of this conflict are dying while leaders within our own country continue to fight over who is right and who is wrong. Both sides will continue to share the burden of being wrong until a peace arrangement-one which is equally just to both the Israelis and the Palestinians-can be successfully reached.

So accept President Carter's visit for what it truly was: an honor for Brandeis and possibly a small step in the direction of a desperately hoped-for resolution. Otherwise, the fighting, both home and abroad, might never cease.