Carter Defends Plan To Meet Hamas Despite Israel Criticism
Former US president Jimmy Carter on Sunday defended his plan to meet with Hamas leaders during an upcoming trip to the Middle East, amid criticism from Washington and Israel.
Carter, who reportedly plans to meet exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Syria, said he viewed Hamas’s inclusion in peace talks as “very important” and stressed he was not travelling as an official US negotiator.
“It’s very important that at least someone meet with the Hamas leaders to express their views, to ascertain what flexibility they have, to try to induce them to stop all attacks against innocent civilians in Israel and to cooperate with the Fatah as a group that unites the Palestinians,” Carter told ABC news.
“There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that, if Israel is ever going to find peace with justice concerning the relationship with their next-door neighbours, the Palestinians, that Hamas will have to be included in the process,” he said in the interview, which was pre-recorded and aired on Sunday.
Carter arrived in Israel Sunday as part of a “study mission” that runs until April 21, his Atlanta-based Carter Center said. The trip will take him to Israel, the occupied West Bank, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Media reports that Carter plans to hold talks with Meshaal in Damascus sparked furore in the United States. Carter’s office would neither confirm nor deny the reports, and the former president has remained vague about the details.
“I’ve not confirmed our itinerary yet for the Syrian visit, but it’s likely that I will be meeting with the Hamas leaders,” Carter said in the interview.
Israel on Sunday urged Carter not to meet Meshaal.
“Such a meeting would be all the more shameful as Jimmy Carter symbolises peace,” senior Israeli defence ministry official Amos Gilad told military radio.
He was referring to Carter’s role as the architect of the 1979 Egypt-Israeli peace treaty and the fact that he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
“Meeting with Hamas leaders would show support for this movement without the minimal conditions set by the international community for such a dialogue, namely a recognition of Israel’s right to exist and the accords reached in the past with the Palestinians,” Gilad said.
“Hamas’ strategic goal of destroying the state of Israel has not changed,” the reservist general added.
The Islamist Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip last June after routing Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
However, the 83-year-old Carter pointed out during the ABC interview that he was not travelling in any official capacity.
“I’m not going as a mediator or a negotiator,” he said. “I’ve been meeting with Hamas leaders for years.”
Carter said his most recent talks came after the group’s win in January 2006 elections. At that time, he said Hamas expressed willingness to declare a ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank and allow Abbas to negotiate on behalf of all Palestinians.
“I intend to find out if these are their prevailing thoughts now,” he said.
On Sunday in Jerusalem, Carter is scheduled to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres and the parents of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier seized in a June 2006 cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip and who is being held by Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared to shun Carter, as the two were not scheduled to meet during his four-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
“Carter is going to visit places we do not wish to associate ourselves with. He also never made an official request to meet Olmert,” a senior government official told AFP.
The US State Department on Thursday advised him against meeting Hamas because Washington supports Abbas in new peace talks with Israel and backs the Jewish state’s bid to isolate the Islamists.
Carter’s 2006 book “Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid” infuriated Jewish groups who accused him of racism and anti-Semitism.
© 2008 Agence France Presse
Jimmy Carter is my hero. God bless him for all he has done to work for peace in the world. Some day he will be recognized as one of the greatest president’s we have had. He has never stopped working for his country and the world.
He has consistently shown the way to peace and the other clowns who condemn him just don’t get it including the presidential candidates presently ripping each other and Carter apart.
I would venture, that Jimmy Carter has been showing the “wisdom of Soloman” in his latest comments. If only more Western leaders would be prepared to cast aside past differences, and meet face to face with former adversaries.
Of course. that will never happen, because it would compromise the true objectives of the Neocon cause.
Jimmy Carter seems to be the only one who actually has an understanding of what to do to bring peace into the Palestine, Israel situation. Hamas is the only protection Gaza has against complete annhilation. The US and Israel admins. have tagged Hamas as terrorists because this organization defends the rights of the people of Gaza to choose their own leader and be a free people. Israel is systematically destroying them and intruding their society right over the top of theirs while the world looks on. The only country defending Palestine’s rights is Iran who has also been demonized by the western leaders. Everyone is outraged about the Monks in Tibet but is strangely apathetic about the atrocities happening to the Palestinian people. Mr. Carter’s compassion for these people is to be admired and also his refusing to be cowed by the Bush administration.
All of the above. A great man, and a great humanitarian.
Mr. Carter has had a few missteps before (supporting Kerry in the last election), but this isn’t one of them.
Talking is the first step towards peace, and why our president or democratic front runners refuse to do so isn’t a mystery. The ruling class simply doesn’t want peace in the middle east, otherwise we would have had it a long time ago. Follow the money.
There is no peace without justice, and no justice if it is based on lies.
And it is why I cannot vote for either of the front runner democratic candidates.
peace now…
I wasn’t a fan of the Carter Administration but I am a big fan of Jimmy Carter the man. Thank you Jimmy for keeping an open mind and meeting with Hamas. Screw all of your critics for putting you down for that. Special place in Heaven for you, Jimmy Carter!
“official US negotiator”
No such thing exists anymore. All we have left are unofficial ones.
Go Jimmy — the only recent Prez who eventually realized that he actually had a moral obligation to FIX some of the crap that the USA has created throughout the globe.
I sure wish he’d turn his powerful “anti-democratic election” radar
Namaste
Carter will be criticized because he speaks the truth and dares to be peaceful…that makes him dangerous to the warmongers.
There’s a protean group of elder politicians and ex-officials who function like our very own House of Lords emeritus, and are on the A-list to be recalled to duty for special projects like post-catastrophe blue-ribbon (whitewash) commissions.
The duopoly is well-represented in this group of superannuated charlatans, which includes the likes of James A. Baker, George Mitchell, Lee Hamilton– even Henry Kissinger, although he has a little trouble getting on board because of his lingering sinister aura and his foreign ponderousness. John Danforth, the proud sponsor of Clarence Thomas, is another example. All of these men– and they are almost exclusively men, for some reason– are regarded by those in power and the sycophantic corporate media as oozing with gravitas and personal integrity: the Wise Men of Amerika, counsellors and selfless servants of the government.
They are all also fabulously wealthy, and have fingers in several pies.
Notice that Jimmy Carter doesn’t run with this group, and never did. His detractors, who only know the twisted little “Mr. Peanut” Jimmy Carter analogue who lives in their lizard-brains, would probably jeer that he doesn’t have the chops to keep up with the above-cited titans.
The truth is that Carter has never sought the fabulous wealth, power, and superficial worldly prestige these sanctified frauds have worked to acquire and maintain. Carter is truly a mensch: a thoughtful, moral, unselfish statesman who measures success in the results his efforts achieve.
He’s miles above the phony Pharisees, but it’s no surprise that he fails to elicit the smarmy and obsequious respect and tribute accorded to the Usual Suspects.
Did I leave out Carter’s outstanding courage? He doesn’t have to keep putting his head in the lion’s mouth and endure the ignorant scorn and disapprobation of Zionists. He could do what his predecessors have done, which is to make money hand over fist while keeping up appearances with a few charities and foundations that require little more than use of their names and depositing the fat checks.
He’s one of the very few statesmen around. If he mitigates even a fraction of the fear and hatred for the US engendered by the criminal warmongers in the present maladministration, he deserves the highest praise. Jimmy Carter is a credit to the nation.
Bravo Mr. Carter !
The Israeli regime keeps turning its same old spin mills. They refuse to talk to Hamas yet claim to know exactly what Hamas is thinking and planning as Hamas tries to hold together a ghetto the likes of which we have not seen since the Nazi ghettos in World War II, growing starvation, streets flooded with untreated sewage, water and electricty shortages and outages, medical procedures endured without anaesthetic for lack of supplies, and the desperately ill refused lifesaving treatment in Israel or elsewhere because their families haven’t filed or refiled the proper paperwork that requires weeks, it seems, to be processed by Israeli authorities. And should anyone dare criticize Israeli policy, it’s only because such critics are anti-Semite–nothing to do with international law, Geneva Conventions, or the countless UN resolutions Israel utterly disregards, without threat of sanctions. ANd yet, it’s Hamas the “great terrorist!” Unbelievable.
I canly support what has been said so far. Yes, while the western world is all wound up about Chinese atrocities in Tibet - minor compared to on-going US humans rights violations in Iraq - nobody in Washington or the West seems to care about what is going on in the Gaza strip, Hamas and the West Bank, where Hamas won a fair election a few years ago. The same in Lebanon, where Hamas won. Now, I just wonder what will happen with Nepal, where the Maoists/Comunists won a majority, also in fait elections.
Jimmy, carry on, you seem to be only one with compassion , reasoon and common sense!
Mr. Carter always said he was a better ex-president than he was an incumbent. I hope I get the opportunity to meet him one of these days; I live in Georgia, after all.
Yeah, I could say some nice things about Carter too, like his book of poetry that I saw in Barnes & Noble last year, but you know they’re laughing at him in the White House just the same way that John Gotti and his lawyers laughed their way through three federal trials, commenting on the prosecutor’s tits and sticking their tongues through donut holes. You’re a riot, Jimmy! Yeah, a lot of good you’ll do, little man, with your hammer and your wisdom whilst Bush rolls out the nukes for their flight to Iran. All aboard for Armageddon!
The cognitive dissonance is fairly screaming out loud. Jimmy Carter, whose Nobel peace prize was won by helping settle the coflict between Israel and Egypt is going to meet with Hamas to (what else) try to faciiltate peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
What’s not to love? Poor Jimmy has done stopped preachin’ and gone to meddlin’–preach on JImmy! Has any President grown so much in stature since retiring from the presidency as Carter? I can’t think of anyone who surpasses him in this department.
Go Jimmy!!!
Jimmy Carter is right to dialogue with one of the most important parties to the Arab Israeli conflict and the US administration is wrong not to dialogue with Hamas. No negotiation can take place between parties who refuse to talk to each other and no mediator can achieve a settlement between the parties to a conflict by excluding one or another of those parties from the negotiatin table. It has nothing to do with religion or ideology, and everything to do with logic and reason. Since the administration is not relying upon logic and reason in its approach to the Arab Israeli conflict, it is a blessing to all parties to the conflict that Jimmy Carter’s modus operandi involves such logic and reason.
To hell with what Israel thinks or says. This country’s behaviour is utterly shameful.
In 2006, Carter monitored the Palestinian elections in which Hamas toppled Fatah by winning 76 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council.
In 2006, Carter said, “If you sponsor an election or promote democracy and freedom around the world, then when people make their own decision about their leaders, I think that all the governments should recognize that administration and let them form their government.”[1]
Re: Carter’s latest mission: “This is a study mission and our purpose is not to negotiate but to support and provide momentum for current efforts to secure peace in the Middle East. Our delegation has considerable experience in the region, and we go there with an open mind and heart to listen and learn from all parties.”[2]
-Carter Center Statement
The Carter Center aims to promote global peace, health, democracy and human rights.
During my third of five visits to Israel Palestine since June 2005, while I was in the Little Town of Bethlehem: Occupied Territory, in March 2006, I attended a conference coordinated by Sabeel [ Arabic for The Way] Liberation Theolgy Center established in Jerusalem. Sabeel is supported by growing numbers of ecumenical international Christians who have learned from the life of Jesus; who was born, lived and died under military occupation how to respond to injustice.
This theology connects the true meaning of Christianity; nonviolent and forgiving with the daily struggles of all who suffer under occupation, violence, discrimination, and human rights violations.
While in occupied Bethlehem, my Sabeel group met with four newly elected Hamas members, but we never got to meet any terrorists.
Two had been elected to the Palestinian Parliament/PLC and two to the Municipality/local government. PLC Representative, Anwer M. Zboun, lives in the Abiet refugee camp and has a Masters Degree in Physics.
Thirty-three year old Mahmoud Alkhatib lives in Aida refugee camp and has obtained a Masters Degree in Islamic Studies. Khaled Saada and Salah Shuka were elected to the Municipality/local government.
Mr. Zboun greeted us in English with a broad smile on his face and stated, “We welcome you to our home and the Holy City of Bethlehem. We are suppose to be terrorists, are you afraid?” [3]
We laughed as Zboun continued earnestly, “We are a Palestinian resistance movement and we are not against any people. We are against the occupation. We want to rebuild what the occupation has destroyed. Hamas was born from the suffering of the Palestinian people and we belong to the global Muslim movement. It was on December 14, 1987 after an Israeli driver killed nine Palestinians that the first Intifada [uprising] began and the Islamic Resistance movement in Palestine was renamed Hamas. [Ibid]
“Hamas is a national liberation movement based on Sharia; Islamic Laws and Orders. Hamas is not against any religion. We are not a terrorist movement, but we resist the occupation. Christians voted for us for many reasons and they know we are faithful to this cause: that God knows better than we ourselves know what is for our benefit. We do not force anyone to believe as we do. The public and private schools both teach Islam and Christianity. [Ibid]
“In November 1988 Arafat issued a birth certificate for the Palestinian State and under religion he stated: ‘None.’ This is because we are a secular state. As Muslims and Christians we live together peacefully and our attitude is citizenship is for everyone. Everybody should have freedom of belief, traditions and a personal life. Hamas does not propose anything that contradicts Christianity. [Ibid]
“Our slogan is: Remove Suffering for everyone. The issue of Israel is about the occupation. We have no problems with religious beliefs; our problem is that Israel is illegally occupying our land. Since March 2005, we have honored a unilateral cease-fire. But Israel martyred 200 Palestinians, injured 1,200 and has detained 3,500. Many are under the age of sixteen. In the last two weeks Israel has killed twenty-five Palestinian and yet we have maintained the cease-fire. Israel does not recognize us and recognition takes both sides. [Ibid]
“Abbas has stated that we do recognize Israel, but there must be clear borders and Israel does not yet have them. The PA recognized Israel ten years ago but we Palestinians are detained in an open air prison. We resist the occupation which is our right guaranteed under International Law. International Law demands Israel withdraw to the 1967 borders, release the prisoners, and stop the assassinations, illegal wall and home demolitions. [Ibid]
“Hamas defines terrorism as a violation of the rights of others and their property. Bush defined terrorism as evil. We are weak with resources and our voice is not heard in the West, only the voice of America and Israel gets press. America asked us to hold democratic elections and we did. We thank everyone who was involved in our transparent and democratic elections. We did what the USA asked and now they are punishing our people. Democracies are supposed to respect and not intervene in what others want. [Ibid]
“We had democratic and transparent elections and how are we rewarded? By the EU and the USA who have cut funds to the poorest of people who live under occupation. Hamas suggested that the International community monitor all the financial aid to assure that it went to the people and not to Hamas. We offered this suggestion to the world and we have been ignored. [Ibid]
“So now we look to the Arab and Muslim world to strengthen our local infrastructure and economy and hope to bring back investors. We know there are people in Europe and America who will not allow us to go hungry. We believe aid and support are in Gods hands and not governments.” [Ibid]
Might it also be in the hands of the man from Plains who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his untiring efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts and advance democracy and human rights.
1. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/02/01/carter.hamas/
2. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BBE18D00-B8B4-4A87-8FA1-6494A9EC2676.htm
3. pages 66-68, “MEMOIRS OF A NICE IRISH-AMERICAN ‘GIRL’S’ LIFE IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY” by eileen fleming
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
We could all learn from this great man. He’s been at the top of my list for many years as a shining example of what a politician, a statesman, a citizen, and a christian should be.
God bless you, and protect you Mr. President.
Dear Jimmy Carter,
May you know the deep peace of tranquility and see the light of the divine in each that you meet with. May this translate to the Israeli leadership and cause them and all concerned to value the divine in each as the strength needed to lay down arms and work for the common good of all of us. Peace always Jimmy Carter.
Unlike Bush, Carter is a true Christian and statesman. While the American people are okay with letting the vicious, ravenous neo-con Republican party destroy Us and Them in order to keep money streams they will never experience flow into the pockets of the non-tax paying 1 percent richest of the population, Carter, like a good doctor, goes fearlessly to treat the deepest of our world’s societal wounds.
The neo-cons of course will play it up that Carter is aiding and abetting the enemy, but they neglect the facts on the ground that most likely Carter won’t much have to remind Hamas that Israel’s very existence is not something they will very likely be able to threaten and still survive themselves. Perhaps a visit by somebody like Carter will open the door to compromise. Communication is key in solving problems.
Honesty, decency, and selflessness are qualities abhorred by the Neocons and their warhawk compatriots in the Likud Party in Israel. What amazes me is that so many fundamentalist American ‘Christians’ can support such an inhumane, lying, and manipulative regime as modern-day Israel has become.
And no folks - before you get on your little stools to preach to me - I am not anti-Semitic. There is a strong and ever-growing contingent of Jewish peace activists throughout the world who see the folly and the inhumanity of Israel - possibly the most duplicitous nation on the face of the earth at this point in history.
Amen. Since Condi is so ineffective and irrelevant as a statesman or diplomat, it’s good to see that ONE godd American is willin to go the extra mile. Thank you, Mr. Carter, and may Peace follow you around the world.
I’d vote for Jimmy Carter as a great visionary and by far the best ex-president that the United States has ever had.
Any shortcoming he had as President have been far exceeded by his accomplishments since leaving office.
Carter is a man who sincerely wants to seek a Just Peace in Israel-Palestine. If only today’s leaders had the courage that this man demonstrates, Peace would be truly Possible. Instead of seeking a Peace that considers all interests, our “leaders” appear to be seeking a solution that meets the needs of money and powerful lobbies. So what is new???
Jack Smith
Seattle, WA
erie1917@gmail.com
206-321-4815
I saw Obama on TV and he said that he would not talk to Hamas but he did not say that Jimmy should not…. in fact he said he won’t criticize Jimmy for it…very smart of Obama.
Hillary and McCain are putting Jimmy down and following the Bush line.
If anyone can help unite the Palestinians, Jimmy can.
I am shocked that I actually agree with Jimmy Carter about Mid East policy… of course, his visit is not going to help anything, and sitting down with Hamas and singing kumbaya is not going to change a thing.
I am very much a Zionist, but I am glad that the elephant in the room is being acknowledged - there is no discernable difference between Hamas and Fatah. Aside from Hamas being Islamist and Fatah being secularist, there are no important differences between Hamas and Fatah, particularly regarding terrorism and Israel.
Fatah are terrorists, attacking innocent men, women and children… Hamas are terrorists, attacking innocent men, women and children…
The international community loudly opposes Hamas so they can portray Fatah as “moderate” as though they are realistic partners for peace. I hope to see the terrorist actions of Fatah discussed more widely in the media as a result of this - though I expect to be disappointed.
If a deal is to be reached, it must be made with Hamas, as it has control of Gaza and are growing in popularity in the West Bank. This is the political reality. Just as, it is only right-wing Israeli politicians who will be able to reach an agreement e.g. Begin (Sinai) and Sharon (Lebanon, Gaza).
http://rebelconservative.blogspot.com
jimmy carter has been a man of honor and integrity since he left the white house, in stark contrast to those who followed him.
of course world leaders should maintain dialogue with the elected government of the people of gaza, hamas; and international tribunals at the ICC should question israeli military personnel that have ‘intentionally’ or ‘unintentionally’ killed civilians in gaza and the west bank. the disparities in israeli and palestinian deaths is astonishing.
—————————
Junna April 13th, 2008 12:19 pm
i agree with all of your comments w/ one exception,
“Everyone is outraged about the Monks in Tibet but is strangely apathetic about the atrocities happening to the Palestinian people.”
i’m outraged by human rights violations occurring in palestine, tibet, the sudan, columbia, on native american indian reservations, and of course - not to be a hypocrite - human rights and violations of civil rights here in the US. human rights violations occur globally, and all of the victims of the oppressors deserve attention (including those from tibet).
there are many reasons americans tune out palestinian human rights violations or the question of palestinian sovereignty. the primary reason (in my mind) being the US is a christian nation.
a nation that expresses moral superiority and subtle/overt racist behavior at every turn. many evangelicals in this country see the concept of israel and palestine in biblical terms (hebrews/jews,moses).
americans have a cultural bias towards the victims of the holocaust. many americans have a myopic view of what Palestine was or how Israel emerged as a nation state, or an awareness of the palestinian/arab memory of european expansionism during the crusades.
chomsky talks bout our imperial self image… from an interview in 2007..
http://www.newint.org/columns/essays/2007/10/01/essay/
“Israel’s instant rejection of the Road Map, with US support, is unacceptable to the Western self-image, so it has been suppressed. The facts did finally break into the mainstream with the publication of Jimmy Carter’s Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. The book elicited a torrent of abuse and desperate efforts to discredit it, but the relevant sections – the only part of the book that would have been new to readers with some familiarity with the topic – were scrupulously avoided. The imperial mentality is so deeply embedded in Western culture that this travesty passes without criticism, even notice.”
…peace…
on a different note, carter and gore may soon endorse obama.
from this mornings scotsman….
It’s Obama, stupid: Carter and Gore to end Clinton bid
http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/It39s-Obama-stupid-Carter-and.3976738.jp
{”Former president Carter and former vice-president Gore have already held high-level discussions about delivering the message that she must stand down for the good of the Democrats.
“They’re in discussions,” a source close to Carter told Scotland on Sunday. “Carter has been talking to Gore. They will act, possibly together, or in sequence.”}
…peace…
Screw ‘em, Mr. Carter! Go ahead and meet with the democratically-elected Palestinian officials.
I tip my hat to Carter for the work he’s done since leaving office. I wonder how much of it he sees as atonement for the evil he did whilst in the WH? (Ignoring pleas from Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador to stop supplying military aid to El Salvador, which was being used to wage war on the civilian population, comes to mind.
From a letter to President Carter:
“You say that you are Christian. If you are really Christian, please stop sending military aid to the military here, because they use it only to kill my people.”
Bishop Romero would later be assassinated.
Jimmy Carter is a moral human being.
Hamas represents the Palestinian people.
Israel is the New Nazi Reich, promoting ethinic cleansing and racial superiority. They are the Chosen People and they say it is their God’s will they kill the Araboushkin (Israeli for N****r)
Israel TORTURES CHILDREN; (Google ‘Khiam”).
Good Luck Jimmy Carter-watch your food while in Tel Aviv.
Sure you dont prefer the Bush-Olmert approach of peace through concentration camp?
Blessings on your head Jimmy. the only man who truly cares about peace for all people on the planet. To hell with our so-called heads of state. They all have left their heads in toilets a long time ago. Since when do torturers have the right to talk nasty to true patriots anyway. Three billion dollars yearly to keep the military industrial complex revving in Israel and in the U.S. while our country’s infrastructure goes to pieces. Go Jimmy go. Make it
happen.
One can only imagine how much better it would have been for our nation & the planet if the special iterests and energy cartels had not been successful in their 1980 slanderous campaigns to replace President Carter with their own uninformed pawn– who dismantled his vital environmental programs, besides embarking on destructive political & military ventures.
Little Brother wrote: He [Carter] could do what his predecessors have done, which is to make money hand over fist while keeping up appearances with a few charities and foundations that require little more than use of their names and depositing the fat checks.
Surely you cannot mean the Clinton’s 2000-2006 tax return declaring an income of $110M?
Probably what GWBush will make each year as the “ex-War President” once his sorry a** is gone.
The U.S. and Israel are hell-bent on setting conditions for the rest of the world before they are willing to engage in dialogue. This strategy of course would immediatedly preclude any possibility of negotiating a peace agreement.
Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and Hamas demanded to set conditions before meeting with Israel.
Best wishes, President Carter!
I mean the best that can be said about not talking to HAMAS is symbolic or ideological in nature. We’re not talking to them officially because we say they’re the bad guys, and we don’t want to lend them credibility. (As if there is any credibility left in this administration.) Or alternatively, that such private efforts undermine the official efforts. The latter stance only implies that peace in the Middle East is not a priority on the official agenda. So p i s s on the official balogna.
Jimmy Carter is all of the things he has been adulated for above and more. Something we need to remember, as it is about to become extremely relevant, is that he was skewered by the nascent neocons of the Raygun campaign for the Iran Hostage crisis, and even more on point, that the said campaign was acting independently of the government to delay release of the hostages until after the election. Remember Ollie North and the Iran-Contra Affair?
Unless the republicans are elected in this coming election, they will be hard at work discrediting the new president for every (any) bobble incurred in cleaning up after this administration. This clean-up after (W never had to face cleaning up after himself, even as a child) is obviously comparable to the task Hercules in cleaning the Aegean Stables, so there will be plenty of opportunity for skull-duggery.
And finally, Jimmy Carter continues to exemplify the essential nature of Christianity. His opponents seem satisfied with clever words which have sound, but no meaning. Hooray for Jimmy Carter, again and again in the last 25 years. It will be very telling to compare these activities, after another 25 years, to those of the current president.
Carter was and is what an American president can be without the whole “moral” pretense-bullshit by which Americans and politicians grease their imperial wheels….He has the sense to know that you don’t get peace unless everybody is at the table, and that is an embarrassment to the criminals who want everybody to think they care about justice…
Carter is by far and away the most capable and brilliant President we have ever had. Unfortunately, such men are usually shunted aside if they don’t have war-making credentials. His deep sense of morality and common decency also can result in such things as not being re-elected. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I look, astonished, at the ridiculous protests against China regarding the Olympics. The war criminal Bush/Cheney sect must be quite pleased with the demontrations taking away the negative publicity of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The real issue, as always, is the issue of Palestine. Palestine has always been the issue but only a few brave souls like MECCA and Code Pink actually stepped up to the plate. 650,000 Palestinians have been arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Israel since 1967. Many of these so-called children are under the age of 15. No other country in the world has such an atrocious record of war crimes and crimes against humanity than Israel, except of course the U.S. government, an out of control hegemon spreading fear and mass murder wherever it goes. At least now when people stand up for Palestine, we can use Jimmy Carter as a reference, but also Mr. Mearsheimer and the International Court of Justice. Tibet to me is a non-issue. It would be an embarrasment to be associated with.
Plaudits to just about everyone who commented about Jimmy Carter and his indefatigable quest for peace in the world. He sure is walking his talk … with his beloved Rosalynn right along side him, in person or in loving spirit.
Most of the people on this Board see and hear clearly, both with their hearts and their heads. Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn do too.
And so many of the Hamas leadership also do, and that has been clear right along. And so many of the Jewish citizens of Israel also hear and see with both their hearts and their heads too, and it seems there is nothing they can do, despite their numbers to influence the horrible policies of their own Zionist leadership, … similar to what has happened and is happening in the United States with its current Bush Administration.
For so many of those who have been mentioned in these Common Dream comments: … members of the Bush Administration, the NeoCons, the Zionist leadership of Israel … the James Bakers, Kissingers, and so many others, the thinking and actions of those mentioned seem to be so inhumane, so okay with the destruction and terrible suffering of others, so recalcitrant when it comes to embracing moral and ethical principles of true statesmanship and the care and concern for other human beings, in their own country as well as others, … I cannot help but wonder who they really are …
Too many leaders of this country, of Israel, in Africa, in Asia and Europe, and elsewhere seem like the worst nightmare of cold-blooded, heartless evil aliens from outer space depicted in science fiction literature … or the worst nightmare of our own psychiatric/medical identifications of PSYCHOPATHS with their cold- blooded, heartless traits …
Expensive and proper business suits or other national costume and lots of money, power and position are great masks …
And I’m very serious …
Something is so terribly wrong: torture is okay; starvation is to wave off; Auschwitzing thousands of Palestinians caught behind walls with a military machine decimating their numbers every day; so many, including young, horribly injured soldiers … and women about to give birth, deprived of medical services just about everywhere in the world; razing millions and millions of acres of rain forests where so many indigenous people and vitally alive wildlife live … without blinking an eye — taking, hurting, depriving, killing — no problemo …
Truly, who are these soul-dead people who govern so many of us human beings?
When just one well-known man of stature says I’m going to talk with the leaders of Hamas … and the citizenry on this Board respond gratefully and so positively … and the OTHER … so-called leadership … gets angry, agitated, irritated at this noble, conciliatory … let me say it … ordinary, human gesture towards peace if that’s what is really desired …
then, we can only conclude, that The OTHER is not interested at all in peace … and THE OTHER are less than human beings … and I’m serious … and that scares the hell out of me …
The NEVER AGAINS we have spoken and reiterated throughout human history seem like whispers in the wind … and never more so than NOW …
and that scares the hell out of me … not really me … I’ve lived a considerable number of years already … but I so want the Young to find that Life can be Beautiful …
Who are these people? What are these people? against which one bright light of an old man, named Jimmy Carter, shines in such contrast … and the Light is recognized immediately by many …
Something is terribly wrong …
Simply … let each of us find ways and do our best to correct what is wrong … with Light and with Peace in our own hearts as we go about it. There is no other way. But let us do something everyday … There has never been a more crucial time.
peace …
Is news of Jimmy Carter’s visit to Hamas leaders only in the French press? Is the MSM going to ignore it? Will they further denigrate Carter? Perhaps, while Jimmy Carter is exchanging pleasantries with President Peres and parents of a captured Israeli soldier, Israel is attempting provocative Aktions to undermine his visit to Hamas - like the “Israeli tanks and armoured bulldozers, backed by assault helicopters, advanced one kilometre into central Gaza on Friday (11/4)” killing a 10 year old boy (clearly a terrorist), along with 6 people, and injuring 27 others. Is this one of Israel’s routine terrorist operations, or are they hoping for a Hamas response, that will get more than the mere paragraph that was given to report Israel’s Aktion? The MSM headlines will then paint Carter as being compromised by Hamas “terrorism”.
God bless Jimmy Carter! What a beautiful man. We need more like him and the Dalai Lama. Instead, we get Sick Cheney and little bush.
Can someone please describe some of these “shortcomings” he had as president?
You mean:
His strong promotion of energy conservation and renewable energy - 25 years before “peak oil” or “global warming” became recognizable words to the public?
Or do you mean his tireless efforts to resolve the crisis with Iran peacefully - not knowing that the Reagan campaign was secretly and traitorously striking a deal with Iran to hold the hostages until after the election?
The Camp David accords between Egypt/Israel?
His tireless efforts to defuse the nuclear balance or terror - culminating in the signing of SALT II in 1979?
No US president is perfect - all have carried the US imperialist project forward to some extent. But, Carter was certainly the best US President in my 52 year life so far.
USAn asked “Can someone please describe some of these “shortcomings” he had as president?”
You mean like his unwavering support for Philippine dictator Marcos?
Or do you mean when he continued to prop up the Shah of Iran who he said was “an island of stability?”
Or his increased military aid to Indonesia during the years of turmoil in East Timor?
Or his questionable efforts in Haiti, and Nicaragua, and Guatemala?
There are many sources for Carter’s less than stellar human rights record as President and post. Here is a good one:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2263
That being said, I do approve of many of his efforts since he left office, especially with respect to Israel and Palestine. I hope he can do some good, if the Israelis let him get to Syria.
But surely it would be better if he were giving a speech at the “Seeds of Compassion” convention in Seattle like the Dalai Lama? Or maybe the Dalai Lama should go with Carter to Damascus? Lots of interesting things have happened on the road to Damascus.
It’s clear that many here slobbering all over themselves saying how great ‘Jimmy’ supposedly is, don’t understand at all how the carrot operates alongside the stick.
You can’t negotiate with nihilists.
In re: Gilad stated “Meeting with Hamas leaders would show support for this movement without the minimal conditions set by the international community for such dialogue…”
Hmmmm dialogue eh?
Let’s see, according to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th ed. dialogue is defined as: 1. a talking together; conversation 2. interchange and discussion of ideas, especially when open and frank, as in seeking mutual understanding or harmony…
Poor strupid Gilad just doesn’t get IT! Like the other members of his subspecie, such protoprimitive, microcephalic brained regressives, i.e., Neocons, Dominionists, Likuders and sycophants, retain an inability to perform higher level cognitive operations.
Jimmy Carter is obviously not one of them given his ability to perform such higher level cognitive operations with grace and elan.
Regardless of Carter’s slips and errors while in office, he came to Washingtoon as a true outsider; up against a bevy of cronyist `Business As Usual’ Beltway Insiders and an Army of Dirty Tricks Specialists.
Did any of you know that Carter was the last US president to have been born in a log cabin?
Or that he has a quality set of wood craftsman handtools that his grandfather gave him? (Carter’s a certified master woodworker)
Or that he was tops in his class at Annapolis Naval Academy?
Or that he was the only elected president, as far as I know, who actually walked the entire 1 mile plus route to the White House on Jan.20?
When Carter travels anywhere in the world he’s instantly recognized and people flock to him, connecting with him. People worldwide like the guy `cause they see in him an affable kindred spirit.
Compare that w/ the dead Raygun and Ford, or the two Bushwackers, Condislime, DeadEye Dick, Rumdum, et al.; none of them popular with the public; all of them roundly booed & hissed causing riots wherever they made an appearance!
RE: rebel_conservative April 13th, 2008 3:35 pm
If you are a self proclaimed Zionist I can see why you are shocked to agree with JC. The Zionists started and perpetuate this whole mess. Until they are shunned as the pariahs they are, and their anti-social anti-peace stranglehold on Isreal/USA broken there will never be peace in the middle east, or anywhere else they lust toward dominating.
Paul,
even Mossad favors talk with Hamas now.
You sound like Bush with only when you do this or that…. War is expensive and Israel knows that the USA is Bankrupt…. The Zionists are not brain dead like Bush …when we talk to our “enemies” we can find new friends like the Dalai Lama is saying.
the revolution in the world is now about fearing nothing but our old hatreds.
USAn:
Wasn’t it the Carter administration that had the CIA meddle in Afghanistan so that the Soviets would invade? Zbig said so, at any rate.
There was a very thought provoking article a few years back in counterpunch about non-violence.
http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann02082003.html
It is my observation that Hamas must be violent to prevent even greater violence, because Israel kills to provoke violence, and to tell its Jews it is doing something to prevent it. Israel doesn’t care about the ratio; if it has to kill 100 to provoke a terrorist response, it will do so. Why shouldn’t Hamas respond when Israel kills 10, or even 1?
RE: Jim Glover April 14th, 2008 12:58 am
“Paul,
even Mossad favors talk with Hamas now.”
Is this because the world is finally waking up to the fact Mossad has caused even more problems than the CIA…which is saying a mouthful. How many false flag operations do they have between them now, eh?
Does anyone realize that if we raise our C.A.F.E. standard by 25% (very doable)we have no need at all to go to the middle east to STEAL oil? Then if we re-direct our military budget toward funding renewable energy systems in this country, stop funding Isreal & let the people in that region resolve their own problems, people worldwide would be better off. We have our own back yard to clean up rather than meddling in the affairs of others. A global economy doesn’t mean global domination.
Thanks, Jimmy, you’re a good fella on the proper track. (notice I didn’t say ‘right’ track)
“Meeting with Hamas leaders would show support for this movement without the minimal conditions set by the international community for such a dialogue, namely a recognition of Israel’s right to exist and the accords reached in the past with the Palestinians,” Gilad said.
Gee, I dunno, mister defence ministry official Amos Gilad. Seems to me the fundamental utility in negotiating peace lies in the willingness to sit down and talk with your “enemies.” Grow a freakin’ brain, you dunderhead.
Best of luck, Mr. Carter. Safiyyah seems to think you’re carrying a stick. I don’t even think you’re carrying the carrot. But if the burden of others’ isn’t already too much, can you carry my hope, too?
Carter and his ‘Carter Center’ is carrying the US government carrot rather obviously, wonderingyou. That shouldn’t be all that hard to figure out, and the carrot carrier has been his role for decades now.
President Carter, all of my hopes and warm wishes go with you in hopes of an actual beginning of what may resemble a dialogue. You must be safe since Israel with the Zionest hate for you having the audacity to attempt peaceful hope, so the Zionest F$$KS will not, RE-F$$KING-FUSE to protect you in Israel, although our Stassi protect the Zionist murderers of children by starvation.
Safiyyah is justa’ hopin’ you may bite. Be in Gaza, Israeli soldier with automatic trained at the back of your head, a young Palestinian child notices, awares always of such outcomes. He runs to warn you, Israeli soldier murders President Carter. Statement from our 52nd State; President Carter was murdered today in Gaza by an approaching Palestinian Terrorist. We had previously warned him not to enter Gaza, so…. F$$KS will not even protect him, and if this odd thing occurs this IS how it shall play out. Safiyyah’s carrot of hate. All along I presumed Jimmy Carter was offering an olive branch.
Inshallah.
Jimy Carter is a good man. He’s a man of peace and compassion. He’s a hero; and the world has far too few heroes.
Jimmy Carter has restored my faith a little that there are some good, compassionate, caring Christian’s still in this country. I admire him for trying. At least he has some clue how to solve the problem. It isn’t by ignoring them and calling them names, it’s by talking to them. Where the fascist administration in Washington doesn’t. All they do is act like Rambo in drag and start another war they can’t win. Bush is running a terrorist organization in Washington. He is a fine one to talk about Hamas being a terrorist organization.
Junna,
“Everyone is outraged about the Monks in Tibet but is strangely apathetic about the atrocities happening to the Palestinian people.”
Try renouncing violence in all its forms. Believe that all life is sacred (even Jewish). Practice this for centuries then the Palestinians will have achieved the moral equivalence of the Tibetan monks.
>>Is news of Jimmy Carter’s visit to Hamas leaders only in the French press?<<
No. There were stories on ABC news, Reuters, AP, USA Today among others. It just isn’t big news.
Also did you read how Carter called the firing of rockets from Gaza to Israel a crime.
“I’m obviously distressed to see this happen… I think it’s a despicable crime for any deliberate effort to be made to kill innocent civilians. My hope is that there will be a ceasefire soon that will stop all this,” Mr Carter said.
He understands that peace needs to go both ways. Justice does not equate to peace and peace has to come first. Go Carter!
Right on kendpotter. Renounce violence and you get peace. Everything is then possible, but no peace, no justice.
Israel is right about one thing, they have no intention of building a peace plan. Hamas was democratically elected, because of coercion from Bush himself. To demand democratic elections, then refuse to meet with the people’s leaders, is typical of Bush. At least Carter understands the stakes and is going to be honest.
Junna -
Whilst the plight of Tibet has only recently been in the news (and only because of the Olympics in China) the Palestinians frequently receive favourable and often unquestioning reporting from the media - at least in the UK - (this is not just due to bias, there are a variety of reasons based around news values - see my blog http://rebelconservative.blogspot.com
Paul -
“The Zionists started and perpetuate this whole mess.”
To be fair, this whole mess was started by the British and is perpetuated to this day by arab governments.
We, the British, (and the French) played disgraceful political games as the colonial power in this region. We unilaterally divided our League of Nations Mandate in Palestine into “Trans-Jordan” (75%) which we gave to a Saudi Emir and the rest became “Palestine” amongst significant other meddling, prevent migration, we attempted to play off competing interests, stirred the pot, sought favour in Arab countries to exploit their oil, we arbitrarily drew up boundaries(Iraq is our fault) and the list goes on.
The early Zionists (in the 1880s) had started out transforming unowned wasteland into agricultural land (with the approval of the Ottoman Empire) - the Peel Commission report acknowledges this. They then bought land at vastly inflated prices from wealthy arab landowners - who would then incite trouble to hide the fact they had sold to Jews.
Also, don’t forget that the arabs of Palestine were offered a large share of the land many times. E.g. Peel Commission plan. In 1947, the UN partition plan gave the two sides a roughly equal share of the land which the Jews accepted -the arabs declared war. Arab governments advised arabs to leave the area of the fighting, with the promise that they would return to their homes when the Jews had been wiped out. They lost and borders were established.
The arab governments who caused the war in the first place, washed their hands of the hundreds of thousands of refugees. The arab governments did not care for the arabs of Palestine, sticking them in horrendous camps so they could be used as political fodder to attack Israel.
Contrast the treatments of the arabs by their brothers to the Mizrahic/Sephardic Jews by Israel. You may, or may not be aware that 800,000 Jews were kicked out of their homes in Arab countries in 1948. Around 650,000 settled in Israel and were absorbed into the fledgling state, they were not left to rot in refugee camps so that Israel could criticise arabs for kicking them out.
Now, this debate is often very polarising, so please don’t get me wrong, the State of Israel is certainly not blameless - I wouldn’t pretend that it is. Also don’t think I have no sympathy for the Palestinians, I certainly do. They have been disgracefully treated by Arab governments, and yes, also by Israel. It is because I am a nationalist and because I want the best for both the Palestinian people and Israelis, that I believe passionately that Israel (and the US & UK) needs to give significant aid and help to the Palestinians to compensate them and help them build an independent Palestinian state on the East bank of the River Jordan.
http://rebelconservative.blogspot.com
Carter is proof that one does not need to carry a big stick in order to lead.
Convincing stupid Americans (alas, who compose the majority) of this is a greater challenge.
RE: rebel_conservative April 14th, 2008 10:48 am
Paul -
““The Zionists started and perpetuate this whole mess.”
To be fair, this whole mess was started by the British and is perpetuated to this day by arab governments.”
This whole sordid fiasco was started way before the time period you mention, and rather than lay blame on the British why not on the family in control of Britannia who have wanted their own state in the middle east way before they even claimed Isreal as their own, namely the original Zionist scum…the Rothschild/Bauer family.
Here is a pretty eye opening account of this family of deceptive deviants:
http://iamthewitness.com/doc/RothschildsTimeline-filer/frame.htm
“JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s secret service declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter ”
How much of our tax money is our Congress spending on these Jews?
PaulMagillSmith
“…..the family in control of Britannia who have wanted their own state in the middle east way before they even claimed Isreal as their own, namely the original Zionist scum…the Rothschild/Bauer family. Here is a pretty eye opening account of this family of deceptive deviants: http://iamthewitness.com/doc/RothschildsTimeline-filer/frame.htm”
Oh that is simply a marvelous web site. Just one step short of the full-Monty, holocaust deniers, Nazi adulators, forum. It even has copies of that wonderful old chestnut by Ford, “The International Jew”. Do you have a Panther tank to take out for weekend drives?
Do you honestly think citing that site is persuasive? Of course using the term “Zionist scum” is a pretty good indication that you are about as fair and balanced as Fox News, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.
I am appalled at what is embraced by some so-called liberals. This is simply hate, dressed up nice for the party.
You cannot achieve justice through hate.
“Or that he has a quality set of wood craftsman handtools that his grandfather gave him? (Carter’s a certified master woodworker)
Or that he was tops in his class at Annapolis Naval Academy? ”
There’s nothing like the ability to do real work or having intelligence. It’s a sure recipe to lose elections in the US. And promoting peace is even more sacrilegious than intelligence and craftsmenship in the US. Why else would most politicians we have get any support in the US?
I have always admired President Carter for his honesty and courage. I am sure he will make some headway in the middle east stalemate and help the next president bring peace to the region. I am disappointed that Senator Obama whom I support, has stated that he will not meet with Hamas even though he said during his campaign that he would meet with nations and people regardless of their relations with the U.S. Perhaps he needs the Jewish vote at this time but he seems biased toward Israel and rather silent about the Palestinian dilemma.
But President Carter’s visit can’t help but send a positive message.
whatfools wrote: JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s secret service declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter ”
How much of our tax money is our Congress spending on these Jews?
Ouch! I had not looked at it that way. How many billion$ does the US spend on Israeli security, and they cannot be bothered to protect an ex-President on a peace-keeping mission who has known “enemies” in Israel?
I’m not racist, but I am starting to understand the racist POV.
I have always admired President Jimmy Carter—even WHEN he was president. I believe he was the best president in my lifetime. And I have always thought it strange that whenever the Corpstream pundits bothered to mention his presidency it was always in “failure” terms disparaging one of our most nobel former presidents. Just goes to show you we should have known that we had no such thing as a Fourth Estate since the 80’s and should have stopped paying attention decades ago. Course then we didn’t have the Internet.
Jimmy Carter doesn’t let his marginalized status stop him from being a compassionate voice for world peace and justice. No wonder he was only given one term by this unconscious, young and self-absorbed nation. We never really deserved his leadership in the first place. He works his magic for the entire planet and bless him a thousandfold for that!!!
I am truly shocked at the language and rhetoric used on this supposedly liberal and progressive website. There is little attempt to even maintain the pretence of a distinction between Jews and the State of Israel. I guess MLK Jr. was right, “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews.”
I had heard the arguments about Left-wing anti-Semitism but I never actually believed that they could be true, I always gave the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was self-righteous anger against taken a little too far. I simply can’t believe the level of hate evident in some of the anti-Semitic statements made here.
Of course, this does not apply to everyone, but to a worryingly large proportion.
WTF-
You say you are not racist, but are “starting to understand their POV”??? Do you honestly think you would (or could) say that about any other ethnic group/race? It says a lot about the anti-Semitic climate that you felt comfortable to say it.
I do not think being religious or not, automatically makes one GOOD or BAD
someone once said and i paraphrase;
“without religions , good people do good things and bad people do bad things, but for a good person to do bad things, that requires a religion”
A look at todays news, from any source, shows a multitude of wrongs being committed by those who spout chapter and verse from the writings of their chosen religions… giving credence to the above paraphrased quote.
I do not know Mr Carter by his religiousness, by i do know him by his acts..would that all our leaders showed in actions, as Mr Carter does, what they all proclaim in speech.
Jimmy Carter facilitated the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Had he been re-elected in 1980, instead of the actor Reagan, who knows what he may have accomplished in the Middle East.
Unfortunately, his support of the Shah against the Ayatollahs in Iran proved to be his downfall. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Many of the Palestinians have been treated shamefully, it is a disgrace to any civilized society, and the U.S. government sits back and does nothing, along with many other nations. There needs to be peace, but the Israeli government has little interest in bringing about a lasting peace. They just want more land, and they do not care who they harm, or whose lives they destroy, as long as they get what they want. Many Israelis’ are against what their government is doing, yet they are ignored too, it reminds me of a runaway train, out of control, doomed to crash.
President Jimmy Carter can do as he pleases. He has done more to try and bring about peace in the middle east than any Bush ever did. He knows the people of Hamas and their allies and they trust him; if he can bring about a measure of peace, why shouldn’t he. Lord knows, Condi hasn’t done much except make excuses.
safiyyah, thanks for the response.
But I would beg to differ on what you deem to be obvious about the Carter Center’s role vis-a-vis US policy. The Carter Center declares the election in a certain S. American nation to be open, honest, and representative of the will of the people. The US government then says just the opposite. The Carter Center generates recommendations on worthwhile humanitarian efforts, which the US government proceeds to ignore. And isn’t this very article yet another example of the Carter Center advocating for something that the current RepubLikud (sorry, I realize that’s a salacious title to use, but I’m rather enamored of it right now) administration will try to sink, either directly or by proxy?
There is no carrot. There is no stick. [Sorry…gotta do it: “There is no spoon.”]