Carter's irony

From QandO:

Alan Dershowitz, incensed over Jimmy Carter's latest book likening the Israeli/Palestine situation to apartheid, has challenged Carter to a debate. Carter, who says the purpose of his book was to spark debate in this country, has declined:

"I don't want to have a conversation even indirectly with Dershowitz," Carter said in Friday's Boston Globe. "There is no need ... to debate somebody who, in my opinion, knows nothing about the situation in Palestine."

"There is no need ... to debate somebody who, in my opinion, knows nothing about the situation in Palestine"? Two responses to that line:

1. I agree, but despite that, Dershowitz still wants to hear from you anyway!

2. Why not? You didn't let your ignorance of the situation in Palestine prevent you from writing a book, now did you, Jimmah?

Carter claims to have written his book to, in part, "spark debate"...yet he shuns said debate that he claims to have wanted to "spark". In fairness, Carter never said he wanted to spark debate with him!