Jimmy Carter Speaks for Me

I don't feel the least bit sorry for Jimmy Carter, who, predictably, is being pilloried for his plans to meet the exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshal, in Syria on Friday.

As Pete Seeger once said of the victims of McCarthyism: don't mourn those who fought. Don't mourn the people who saw clearly what the right thing to do was, and did it, fully aware of the hammer that might come down on them for doing so.

Jimmy Carter surely knew that he would be called every bad name. Perhaps he even calculated that, by calling him every bad name, his critics would do him a favor. They would call attention to his meeting, and that would call attention to some basic facts that Jimmy Carter knows, but the world doesn't know, because they have been under-reported in the Western press.

Jimmy Carter knows that 64% of Israelis told the Israeli daily Haaretz in February that they wanted their government to engage in talks with Hamas toward a cease-fire.

Jimmy Carter knows after Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, it was willing to declare a ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank and allow President Abbas to negotiate with Israel on behalf of all Palestinians.

Jimmy Carter knows that the blockade of Gaza being carried out by Israel, the U.S., and Egypt, far from weakening Hamas, has strengthened its grip on Gaza, as 90% of Gaza's factories have closed and many of their former employees are now working as Hamas policemen or have joined the movement's military wing.

Jimmy Carter knows that Efraim Halevy, former head of Israel's Mossad, has called for Israel to negotiate with Hamas. He knows that before the Annapolis conference, a bipartisan group of U.S. foreign-policy experts, including former national security advisers Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft, sent a letter to President Bush and Secretary Rice saying that "genuine dialogue" with Hamas is "far preferable to its isolation."

Indeed, he knows that the U.S. has encouraged Egypt to talk to Hamas about negotiating a cease-fire. How can it be a scandal for Jimmy Carter to talk to Hamas, but not for Egypt to talk to Hamas at U.S. direction?

As Carter has said,

"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 neighbors, the Palestinians, that Hamas will have to be included in the process."

Will the end, will the means. If the United States truly wants a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians - as opposed to just pretending that it wants one - it must deal with Hamas.

Comments

[dezzertguy]

Jimmy Carter knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted attention. He strives to obtain a legacy that will overshadow his failure as a president. So far, all he has done is bring great shame to himself. He is truly a disgusting man.

[SimonHelms]

Obama was forced to make his statements against any dialogue with Hamas. Why forced? For he knows better. Hillary knows better, too, but she clearly sees that such a dialogue could only be conducted by speaking a clear word towards both sides. Thats risky. Too risky for her. So she moves on the safe side, together with McCain. A simple foe: Hamas, a simple explanation: evil.
BUT.
Have a look at the violent beginnings of the nation of Israel: Menachem Begin - with whom Anwar el-Sadat accomplished the Camp-David peace treaty which was conducted by Carter - officially was branded as a terrorist by the British for leading the radical Irgun. Irgun bombed the famous King David Hotel and 91 persons died. Though, Begin was involved in the only lasting peace between Israel and an arabian country.
For those who want to read the whole story in German: www.algore2008.de/blog/

[FCBarca]

The biggest 'wool over their eyes' media job is the one that has buried the plight of the Palestinian people and the illegal occupation by Israel...95% of the planet is fully aware of it but the USA has buried it out of everyone's minds nevermind distorting facts.

Congrats to President Carter for doing the right thing

[Shortyfuse]

Yep, you are talking about my favoite all time president. I know that there will be a lot of right wing smearing of President Jimmy. There was when he was president.
Some of the same things happening now were happening then. High inflation, middle east rising,corporate influence of gov. Hell, Bush Sr. was in the CIA. Carter saw the rising tide and the influence of Corporate fortune 500 ,oil cartels , and the military industrial complex on our politics both foreign and domestic. He tried break the bonds by putting money into alternate energy research and public awarness. He even lowered the speed limit to 55mph. (that is the first thing Mr. OIL Mafioso dropped when he became gov. of Texas) Carter even put price caps on so that corporate greed could not sink the middle class. You will not see that with Mr. Mafioso.
If we would have stayed with Carter we would be energy independent and free of foreign intanglements. We would have better laws governing corporations ,banks and the protection racket that is insurance companies.
Now we know that President Jimmy Carter was not responsible for our porblems then no more than he is now. The same bunch of corporate but kissers are still in charge. I mean look at the difference between Carter and the old fart Bush.
New World Order: You are not ending poverty in the world,You are unleashing the greed of capitalism on an overpopulated world.

[fairwitness]

Peace between Israel & Palestine would deprive the neocon chickenhawks and asscoiated miltary-industrial profiteers of their primary sustenance. That being so, any movement toward peace will be resisted and sabatoged by all means necessary and advocates of dialogue and reconciliation will be demonized so long as Bush-Cheney Republicanism controls the US government.

[charlietuna11]

president carter is wrong. can't he see that the policies of bush have been a total success..look around, peace is breaking out all over the middle east thanks to the bush/ neocon play book. even though 20 americans and hundreds of innocent iraqis have died in the past six days, it would be hard not to notice the progress there..if our policies continue to heed the advise of the likud, bush/cheney and aipac then theres no limit to the success we could achieve..we need to get carter out of our way.. our country would be so much better off if nixon had stayed out of china and reagan had let that wall stay up..we now are fortunate enough to have a president who won't make those same stupid mistakes. were so lucky to have a legitimate and enlightened thinker as our leader..praise jesus...

[Henry]

There really is something puzzling about the Bush Cabal. For the life of me, I cannot believe that they are as stupid as they appear to be.
James Earl Carter is a man true to his convictions. He is unique in that respect and it clearly makes him one of the greatest on the planet.

[Sundialsvc4]

So... can a man win the Nobel Peace Prize twice? Yes, I think he can.

[dezzertguy]

If McCain wins the presidency, Carter may be given the prize again. The Prize Committee loves to use the award to insult Republican presidents and some U.S. citizens.