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Israel's Senior Politicians and Security Service Snub Carter Visit
Jimmy Carter faced a cold reception in Israel yesterday where senior political leaders avoided meeting him and the Israeli secret service declined to help the American agents guarding him.The former US president was at the start of a Middle East tour, in which he is expected to meet on Friday the exiled head of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Khaled Meshal. The proposed meeting has brought criticism in Israel.
On Sunday, Carter met the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, who told him that meeting Meshal was "a very big mistake". He has no meetings scheduled with Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, or foreign and defence ministers. Carter will meet the trade and industry minister. Asked about the lack of high-level meetings, he told Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper: "I'm disappointed but not distressed."
The Israeli security service Shin Bet declined to meet the head of Carter's US secret service detail or provide assistance. One US source told Reuters the snub was "unprecedented". An Israeli security source told the news agency no request for help had been made, though Carter's delegation insisted it had. The authorities also refused permission for him to meet Marwan Barghouti, a popular Palestinian activist regarded by some as a future leader, who is in an Israeli jail for murder.
The reception given to Carter, who helped negotiate 1979's Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt, is unusual and stems not only from his proposed meeting with the Hamas leader but also from the anger caused within Israel by his 2006 book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid. It was not the book's criticisms of the Israeli occupation that created controversy; it was that such a senior US political figure had questioned Israeli policy.
Carter has held other meetings on his Israeli visit, including with the parents of an Israeli soldier captured near Gaza two years ago and with Yossi Beilin, a leftwing politician. Yesterday, Carter travelled to Sderot, a southern Israeli town frequently targeted by rockets fired by militants in Gaza. "I think it's a despicable crime for any deliberate effort to be made to kill innocent civilians, and my hope is there will be a ceasefire soon," Carter said.
In the meeting with Meshal, Carter says he intends to test the Hamas leader's support for the Arab peace initiative, a Saudi proposal under which the Arab world would give Israel diplomatic recognition in return for a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Although Israel has not rejected the proposal, it has not embraced it either and continues to refuse to talk to Hamas, which won the Palestinian election two years ago.
"I think there's no doubt in anyone's mind that if Israel is ever going to find peace with justice concerning the relationship with its next-door neighbours, the Palestinians, Hamas will have to be included in the process," Carter told the US television network ABC News.
In an interview this month with the Palestinian newspaper al-Ayyam, Meshal appeared to accept a two-state solution, though he refused to recognise Israel. He talked of a return to the 2006 Prisoners' Document, in which Hamas agreed that Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and leader of rivals Fatah, should be in charge of negotiations with Israel.
© 2008 The Guardian
22 Comments so far
Show AllPRESIDENT Carter has the courage and intelligence to negotiate peace when the Bush Admin. has its head so far up the Likud Party's *** it won't deign to meet with anyone perceived to be a terrorist organization. Wow, what a difference between a REAL President and a DISGRACEFUL President. Good for you President Carter! May peace and success be with you, Sir.
Mr. Carter is a true American Statesman. He is trying to do what is morally correct, not what is politically correct. Too bad he's the only American willing to do so.
Hoa binh
Those last two paragraphs neatly tie together: Carter insists that Meshal's group's participation is necessary. Meshal insists that Abbas' group's participation is necessary.
Israel's participation is necessary. You've failed your people, Peres and Olmert.
Maybe they would treat our former President with a more appropriate level of respect if we cut aid to Israel by 50% next year.
If Jimmy asked Israel for assistance, and Israel says he did not, then Israel lies as usual and the world knows Israel is being run by war Criminals just like Bush and his gang of war criminals.
No incentive for anything to change now, but Jimmy is doin his best to set the stage for change in the future.
This is not surprising. Israel, populated by supposedly God's favorite most Holy race, refuses to be hospitable to its guests. If Israel stops being so arrogant and stops competing with the United States for the title of being the most hypocritical nation on Earth, maybe Israel will be respected more. The reality is that some laws in Israel actually DO give the impression to some people throughout the world that apartheid is being practiced there (i.e. to have certain sections of Israel being inhabited by bearded yamaka-wearing big nosed liars ONLY).
The warm reception given to Jimmy Carter by Israel only confims my belief that Israelis lack abilities of forgiving individuals that speak the truth. Is this the way to behave by a race that supposedly are supposed experts on reality perception and that their God is the only correct one. I would defecate on Yahweh if I could and urinate in his mouth!
President Carter is a national treasure. This fascist-idiot mass-murdering lunatic Olmert is unbelievable. He is pure evil. If there is anyone that will bring Israel to an end it is the extremists currently running Israel.
Well, I hate to say it, but cutting Israel's funding completely is a bad idea. They have nukes, and if we cut our aid bad things will happen. Attach strings. We could start by taking away their bulldozers.
Ten thousand Israeli political leaders are not worth a Jimmy Carter fingernail.
Keep up the good work,Jimmy!!
What I don't get is is this.. if all these "American" Israelites are so concerned about the Jewish state, why are they living here , and not there..
the only short answer that comes to mind is that influencing US policy is easier from inside the US gov., than from afar.
based this on all the duel Israeli / American citizens in politics in Washington.
ducking for cover now from the barrage of anti-semitic cries we always get when one questions Israels policies.
242 and Carter is despised in his own country.
I would have expected nothing less than completely rude behavior from Israel. Israel has not a single friend in the world because they are better at building walls than engaging peace. There is hope, of course, but only if the Israeli citizenry reign in their terrorist leaders.
Question: Why are independent journalists not allowed into Israel and Palestine?
Thank you President Carter.
As an american Jew I am continually appauled at the behavior of Isreal a country that is supposed to represent me ,well it doesn't.
As an American Jew I couldn't,wouldn't and shouldn't accept a country in which my ethnesticty would stop me from owning property ect. No Jew that I know would stand for that so why is it that Isreald demands that of its arab residents?????????
We are living in the 21st century I thought that seperatist behavior was no longer practiced ?
Come to think of it just what is Isreal?
Is Isreal a theocracy most Jews would say no.
Is Isreal a race certainly not as many indigenous arabs are semitic.Most Isrealis consider themselves European,so what gives?
Is Isreal an ethnicity ? So what is it?
Answer: Isreal is a shell game = a scam run by gangsters.
We must be careful not to lump all of the Israeli population together. Surely we know here in the USA that our government policies do NOT represent our views or our values. It is the same anywhere. Look how out of touch our so called leaders are. It is no different in Israel.
President Carter has always been my favorite president!!!
kc---great post!!!
Speaking bluntly, I expect that Jimmy Carter will have no problem with his safety in Israel or the Palestinian lands. Most Israeli's remember and appreciate his role in helping to broker a peace deal between their country and Egypt.
The Palestinians realize that he is about the only non-Muslim leader who has given them any respect and recognition and obviously also appreciate his visit and his willingness to put up with Bushco and Olmertco intransigence in this matter.
Wouldn't it be cool if he got nominated for another Peace Prize for his efforts in this matter?
Carter is indeed the last Statesman our country seems to have. I hope he will be a close adviser to President Obama.
So many misconceptions, I barely know where to start...
Firstly, Olmert is the leader of the Kadima party, not Likud. Likud are not even in the governing coalition - that is Kadima, Labour, Shas and Gil - Likud are the opposition party (led by Binyamin Netanyahu).
Secondly, Israel receives only $120 million in "aid" (less than 0.1% of Israel's GDP) It also receives around $3 billion a year (3% of GDP) in what amounts to weapons tokens, with which they purchase weaponry from US arms manufacturers, and the bill is picked up by the USA. This amounts to US govt support of the arms industry.
Thirdly, arabs can (and do) own property in Israel.
Fourthly, independent journalists do operate in Israel and the occupied territories. This includes both Israeli and foreign journalists.
Finally, Jews do not see themselves as privileged by G-d, but burdened. The Jewish sages commented that at the G-d went to other nations first but they rejected it, as did the Jews until G-d held a mountain above their heads to force them to accept the Torah (only at Purim did they willingly accept it). Gentiles and Jews can equally get close to G-d, but in different ways. In Judaism, Jews have to obide by the 613 mitzvot (commandments), gentiles don't have to convert, but have to abide by the 7 Laws of Noah (which is around 66 specific mitzvot)
And I am not even going to bother correcting blatant anti-Semitism.
http://rebelconservative.blogspot.com
Rebel,
An Arab cannot become a citizen even if they marry an Israeli citizen.
When they do own land it is under the suspicion and ready to be taken away by settlers.
Arabs need licenses to build a house on their own land but the land is stolen and their homes are destroyed regularly by the Israeli bull dozers.
Arabs are the real Semites, and most Israelis are European and their claim to being Semites is suspect. My mom was Jewish, but her folks came from Poland.
Why is it anti-semitism to criticize Israel, and not anti semitism for Israel to treat the Arabs as inferior?
What a lie...talk about Newspeak.... If some one is against Israeli racist policies why not say the truth and call it anti-israeli... I;ll tell you why...it is because Israel is run by liars and thieves and War Criminals.
God destroyed Israel for breaking the commandments before... Watch out Rebel!
Being snubbed by Olmert and his goons - that is a feather in Prez Carter's cap (the last president of America - the other 4 since then have been nothing but corporate goons).
Some points to note. These points have been extracted from postings on this site by progressive Israelites.
- Both Arabs and Jews are descendants of Semites. Given thiis, what is anti-Semitism, and why do some Jews (especially the pro-Israeli squad) insist on calling anti-Isralei comment anti-Semitic?
- 70 years ago, there was no country called Israel!!!
- Israel is the largest recipient of US AID. A lot of this monies are un-budgeted and come out of Appropriation Bills passed during the year (a Congressional sleight of hand perfected by the master con-man, Ronald Reagan).
"President Carter has always been my favorite president!!!"
Mine as well, starofthesea.
Remember, during the oil embargo, when President Carter told the nation the truth - that we had to tighten our belts, lower the thermostat, drive slower, and do what we could to lessen our oil dependence? Of course, we can see even more clearly now that he was telling the truth.
Carter was turned into a pariah for telling the truth. Some things never change.
If anybody's still reading: can someone give me a direct link to the previous CD article regarding Mr. Carter's visit entitled "Carter Defends Plan To Meet Hamas Despite Israel Criticism"?
The archives section of CD botched the URL and despite an email to the CD webmaster a couple days ago, it still hasn't been fixed.