Posted by
Grampus on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 5:45:29 PM
Jimmy Carter is a national disgrace. Carter harbors illusions of grandeur, seeing himself as an instrument of peace in the Middle East. In Arab capitals he enjoys immense popularity. In a memoir ‘Sharing Good Times’ Carter recalled his trips to the Syrian and Saudi dictatorships and fawned with exuberance that he was “always greeted with smiles and friendship.” His latest book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” could more rightly be called “Israel: No Right To Exist.” Carter’s immense chutzpah: In securing the financial support of assorted Arab leaders, Carter has gradually come to parrot their anti-Israel political agenda -- even as he styles himself as a dispassionate mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His book is full of distortions and falsehoods.
- Israel is the primary obstacle to peace in the region
- UN Resolution 242 demands that Israel return to Palestinians all land up to the 1967 borders
- The West Bank is Palestine
- Israel is an apartheid state
- The PLO has never advocated the annihilation of Israel
- Voices from Israel dominate in the U.S. media
- Israel is responsible for the exodus of Christians from the Holy Land
Carter has displayed intense reluctance to defend the book on its merits. Instead, he avoids that daunting task (typical liberal) by attempting to shift the focus away from the criticism -- especially as it concerns the book’s serial distortions and outright falsehoods -- and onto the critics. In particular, Carter claims that critics are compromised by their support for Israel, their ties to pro-Israel lobbying organizations, and -- a more pernicious charge -- their Jewish background.
Carter’s book may fairly be seen as the logical outcome of his many years of anti-Israel incitement. There was of course no shortage of clues about Carter’s sympathies in his earlier books. He has been relentless in his criticisms of Israel and has shown an arrogant disdain for historical record.
Carter is blaming “representatives of Jewish organizations” in the media for the poor reviews he has received and “university campuses with high Jewish enrollment” as the reason his book is not being debated in American universities.
Carter’s whining seems to be that anyone supportive of Israel, whether in individual support or in an organized group, is incapable of dealing honestly with the issues in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Carter is upsetting his own canoe with this claim because by his own logic, Carter is undeserving to be heard. The Carter Center, founded at Emory University has for over 20 years prospered by the donations of assorted Arab financiers.
Examples:
- 12.6 million from the Saudi royal family
- In 2000, received a promise of 1 million from Osama’s brother
- Received an award from the sheik of the UAE, the Zayed prize for the environment. He traveled to the UAE and picked up $500,000 purse
- Oman frequently hosts Carter and gave 1 million with a promise for more in the future.
Carter was an ardent supporter of Yasir Arafat and championed him as a committed peacemaker since his presidency, in spite of conclusive evidence to the contrary. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, Carter was a chief apologist for the terrorist leader after Arafat and the PLO backed Saddam embarking on a publicity tour to the Middle East to prop up Arafat’s position.
Arafat’s Fatah has been replaced with Hamas and Carter still proves himself a reliable ally of Palestinian terrorism. Carter launched a media blitz urging the United States to circumvent its own laws against financing terrorism in order to fund Hamas by “redirection of relief aid to UN organizations and others to skirt legal restrictions.” The US rejected his pleas and Israel was certainly unwilling to fund an enemy seeking its destruction; Carter reacted by denouncing both governments for “their common commitment to eviscerate the government of elected Hamas.”
Thus, by applying Carter’s own standard, his extensive contacts with the Arab rulers make his views on the Middle East suspect. His views and efforts have fostered an immense popularity in all Arab capitals. For all of the millions they invested in the Carter Center, the Arab elites could never have dreamed to purchase such a prominent fool tool.
Grampus