Jimmy Carter soils himself in print

Ex-president Jimmy Carter has a unique reputation among many of his fellow citizens- not unlike that of crazy Uncle Jim who lives in your basement apartment and is kept out of public view at all costs.

One would hope that an ex-president with the kind of record of domestic and foreign policy failures Mr. Carter racked up during his four years in Washington would have the common decency to avoid commenting on the current world scene...especially when his errors in policy, especially on Iran and the Middle East are so obvious and impact so clearly on current events.

Not Jimmy Carter!

Recently, he authored a screed so full of outright lies and distortions and one sided bigotry that it needs commenting on. Anyone with the stomache to read this in its entirety can do so here

Let's start with his opening salvo:

" For more than a quarter of a century, Israeli policy has been in conflict with that of the US and the international community. Israel's occupation of Palestine has obstructed a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land - regardless of whether Palestinians had no formal government, one headed by Yasser Arafat, or one with Mahmoud Abbas as president and Hamas controlling the parliament and the cabinet."

Let's see... that brings us back to 1981. It ignores Israel's defeat of the Soviet Union and its proteges in the region, winning a significant victory for the West without the necessity of a single US soldier being committed. It also ignores Israel's contribution to US intel in the region, as often acclaimed by US security agencies and politicians across the board. And 1981..wasn't that the year Israel took out Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak, thus saving perhaps thousands of American lives in the subsequent Gulf War? Obviously, subsequent administrations, all of whom have considered Israel an important ally would disagree with Carter's contention.

And as for Israel `obstructing' a comprehensive peace agreement..isn't it Israel that has been consistently attacked, boycotted and demonized by its Arab neighbors since its inception? And wasn't it Israel that took a major(and demonstrably futile) risk for peace by allowing its sworn enemy Yasir Arafat to set up what proved to be a terrorist enclave on its borders as part of the Oslo Accords?

Most interesting about this opening paragraph is Carter's linkage of Arafat, Abbas and Hamas, which, considering the PLO and the Hamas charter's view on Israel and Jews tells us a lot about Carter's feelings about Israel and Jews in general.

Let's go on...

"...the universally adopted UN resolution 242 has mandated Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories. As part of the Quartet, including Russia, the UN and the EU, George Bush has endorsed a "road map" for peace. But Israel has officially rejected its basic premises."

First of all, Resolution 242 did NOT mandate Israel's withdrawal from ALL of the occupied territories. It mentioned withdrawal of `occupied territories'in exchange for a comprehensive peaceful settlement with no mention of a Palestinian State; and Israel subsequently withdrew from over 80% of the territories it conquered after the defensive war of 1967. The `peaceful settlement' part seems to be somewhat lacking.

Second, the basic premise of Oslo and the Road Map was `land for peace'. Israel has given substantial amounts of land to the Palestinians, even uprooting its own citizens. It is the Palestinians who have not complied with their part of the equation..an end to terrorism against Israel, recogniton of Israel's right to exist and an end to the anti-Semitic incitement and demonization of Jews and Israel in the Palestinian mosques, media and schools.


"With Israel's approval, the Carter Center has monitored all three Palestinian elections. They have all been honest and peaceful, with the results accepted by winners and losers."

Which elections are you talking about. Mr. Carter? The Stalin-like one where Arafat ran unopposed except for an 80 year old woman who told everybody to vote for Arafat? Or the most recent one that featured gun battles between Hamas and Fatah supporters, and had the Palestinian `security' forces voting in their barracks under the eyes of their officers?

"Israel has announced a policy of destabilising the new government... The elected officials will be denied travel permits, and every effort is being made to block funds to Palestinians. ...Hamas now wishes to consolidate its political gains, maintain domestic order and stability, and refrain from contacts with Israel. It will be a tragedy if it promotes or condones terrorism."

Guess what, Mr. Carter? Hamas official policy is to condone and promote terrorism against Israel, non-recognition of Israel and support of `resistance', its euphamism for terrorist activity. Are you that unconscious? Even as you wrote this drivel, several major terrorist attacks on Israel were foiled by the vigilance of Israeli security, and barrages of Qassam missles are launched out of Gaza every day. Even the Karni crossing in Gaza, designed for the Palestinian's benefit to allow access for goods and services had to be closed after several major terrorist assaults on the crossing occurred-assaults that killed Palestinians as well as Jews.

As for travel permits, a number of these `elected officials' are terrorists with innocent blood on their hands, including a number who were tried and imprisoned by Israel for murder, like Marwan Barghouti. Should Israel allow its avowed enemies freedom of movement? Would the US do that with al Qaeda? Yes, I know...we would if you were still in the White House.

"The pre-eminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonisation of Palestine."

No, Mr. Carter. The pre-eminent obstacle to peace, as you put it, is the Arab refusal to live next to Jews in peace and equality.That's the central issue, and if it weren't, where the borders were wouldn't be important.

There are almost a million Arabs who live in Israel as citizens, with the right to vote and the full protection of law. Care to show me a similar community of Jews with those rights in the Arab world?

"Recently, Israeli leaders have decided on unilateral actions without involving either the US or the Palestinians... Especially troublesome is Israel's construction of huge concrete dividing walls in populated areas and high fences in rural areas. The wall is designed to surround a truncated Palestine completely...This will never be acceptable either to Palestinians or to the international community, and will inevitably precipitate increased tension within Palestine and stronger resentment from the Arab world against America, which will be held accountable for the plight of the Palestinians."

Wrong again, Mr. Carter. Israel's defensive barrier was not designed to `truncate Palestine' but to protect its people from terrorists and homicide bombers. One came before the other.I realize that the very existence of these nasty `colonists' in Israel is a problem for you, but you can hardly expect them to co-operate in their own deaths and dismemberment.

Suicide is...well, more of a Palestinian specialty, if you don't mind me pointing that out.

As for the last bit about resentment towards America, it's pretty obvious that our ex-president thinks that the hatred for America in parts of the Arab world would magically disappear if all those nasty Jews in Israel suddenly moved to another location. Guess what, Mr. Carter? If Israel magically ceased to exist, the Arabs would have to invent it, as a diversion from their own failed societies...and the Arab world's responsibility for the plight of those Palestinians you're so concerned about. Same with America, by the way, Strong, prosperous non-Islamic societies are a contradiction to the Islamist belief system.

And here's the biggest whopper of the bunch:

"There is little doubt that accommodation with Palestinians can bring full Arab recognition of Israel and its right to live in peace. Any rejectionist policies of Hamas or any terrorist group will be overcome by an Arab commitment to restrain further violence and to promote the wellbeing of the Palestinian people."

Gee, Mr. Carter..if that's true, then why have the Arab nations consistently supported terrorist violence against Israel, even when it resulted in worse conditions for the Palestinian people? Why do they continue to do so today? And that `accomodation' with the Palestinians you go on about is simply the Arab League's Beirut Plan, which calls for Israeli withdrawl to the indefensible borders that have led to 4 attempts by the Arab world to annihilate Israel, the division of Israel's capitol city Jerusalem without any access by Jews to their holiest sites, the mass release of terrorists in Israeli custody and the swamping of Israel with thousands of so-called hostile `refugees'....in exchange for which Israel receives a promise of undefined `relations'. At least for the short time it would exist.

An unfulfilled,utterly failed and bigoted politician might try to hide his innermost feelings behind a veneer of political correctness and outright falsehood.

But I have a friend who works in a rape crisis center, and through my conversations with her about her work I have a decent understanding of Jimmy Carter's attitude towards Israel. It's called blaming the victim.