Jewish Dems: We don’t want Carter to go either
It's no surprise that the Republican Jewish Coalition was quick to pounce on President Carter's planned meeting with Hamas leaders (here and here).
But the National Jewish Democratic Council has also sent out a letter assuring its supporters that its party's top two presidential candidates are also against the pending powwow:
The Washington Post is reporting that former US President Jimmy Carter is planning to travel to Syria to meet with Khaled Meshal, the head of Hamas. The trip was first disclosed by the Arabic-language paper al-Hayat.Because Carter has long been known for his one-sided reading of the Arab-Israeli conflict, The National Jewish Democratic Council has expressed concern in the past about his ongoing, deeply biased commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict. It does not serve the United States' or Israel's interest to have such an individual meeting with an organization devoted to the destruction of Israel.
Both Democratic Presidential candidates sharply rebuked Carter's plans.
Dan Shapiro, Senator Obama's Mideast advisor, issued the following statement: "As soon as the news broke of former President Carter's intention to meet with Hamas leaders on his upcoming trip to the Middle East, Barack Obama made clear that he disagrees with that decision, and authorized his campaign to make his opposition known. Barack Obama views Hamas as a terrorist organization dedicated to Israel's destruction, and believes they cannot be treated as a legitimate actor until they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and abide by past agreements. That has been his position consistently, and it places him squarely at odds with former President Carter's plan to meet with Hamas leaders."
Phil Singer, a Senator Clinton spokesman, said, "Hillary respects former President Carter but disagrees with his decision,"..."She would not meet with Hamas without coordinating with Israel."
It is clear that Jimmy Carter has decided to reject the opinions of the presidential candidates of his party and to continue on his own course of maverick foreign policy. Haven't we learned our lesson about the perils of cowboy diplomacy?
Sincerely,
Linda Berg Political Director National Jewish Democratic Council
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Jimmy “Azziz” Carter will receive a reward for this, instead of removing the “nutty” infidel he will fit in with the Dhimmitude.
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Art Friedman
04/14/08 05:50 PM
Dear Mr (Former) President:
As this is written, you are en route to visit Khaled Mashaal, leader of Hamas, in Damascus. The United States and the European Union have refused to deal with Hamas until the group accepts the existence of Israel and renounces terrorism, but you are not letting these minor problems obstruct your relationship with Mr Mashaal.
Your confidence in the goodwill of Islamic fanatics is legendary. When you were President, mobs marched through the streets of Tehran chanting “Margh bar Carter!” (Death to Carter). Despite the obvious threats to your embassy there (1), you kept the diplomatic staff at their posts until they were taken hostage by Iranian terrorists. The Iran Hostage Crisis was a major factor in your loss of the presidency the next year .
History will consider your brokerage of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in 1979 the high point of your presidency. For that, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt lost his life in 1981; even so, his successor has kept the peace for over 25 years.
Making peace between Israel and Hamas will be much more difficult, however, since the Islamic Resistance group does not want peace. Not only do they call for the destruction of Israel in words, but they launch rockets at Sderot and other locations near Gaza every day.
I earnestly hope that you are able to persuade Mr Mashaal to change the attitude of his organization. But if your kind words are not effective, there is a step you can take that will reduce violence in the Middle East at once: Move to Sderot!
There is plenty of vacant housing in Sderot, as thousands of residents have left in the past year. You could move from house to house on a random basis, so that the rocket launchers would not dare to fire at the city for fear of hitting you! For all you have done for the Palestinian cause, the least Hamas could do for you is to desist from putting you in harm’s way. There would then be no need for Israeli military operations in Gaza, so Palestinian lives will also be saved. Perhaps a long-term truce could lead to peace!
I am sure that Israeli President Shimon Peres, who shares your confidence in the Arab yearning for peace, could arrange office space for the Carter Center in Sderot, equipped with state-of-the-art telecommunications, so you could continue your worldwide activities from there. Just think of the dusty town as “Plains, Israel.”
But what if the rockets keep coming anyway, and one (G-d forbid) “takes you out”? You weren’t going to live forever anyway, and this way you will have given your life for the cause of peace in the Middle East. What a legacy!
Sincerely yours.