Jimmy Carter: Punishing Innocent Palestinians is a Crime

Jimmy Carter: Punishing Innocent Palestinians is a Crime

By
Jimmy Carter
7 May 2006

This article was published in the May 7, 2006, issue of the International Herald Tribune

Innocent Palestinian people are being treated like animals, with the presumption that they are guilty of some crime. Because they voted for candidates who are members of Hamas, the United States government has become the driving force behind an apparently effective scheme of depriving the general public of income, access to the outside world and the necessities of life.

Overwhelmingly, these are school teachers, nurses, social workers, police officers, farm families, shopkeepers, and their employees and families who are just hoping for a better life. Public opinion polls conducted after the January parliamentary election show that 80 percent of Palestinians still want a peace agreement with Israel based on the international road map premises. Although Fatah party members refused to join Hamas in a coalition government, nearly 70 percent of Palestinians continue to support Fatah's leader, Mahmoud Abbas, as their president.

It is almost a miracle that the Palestinians have been able to orchestrate three elections during the past 10 years, all of which have been honest, fair, strongly contested, without violence and with the results accepted by winners and losers. Among the 62 elections that have been monitored by us at the Carter Center, these are among the best in portraying the will of the people.

One clear reason for the surprising Hamas victory for legislative seats was that the voters were in despair about prospects for peace. With American acquiescence, the Israelis had avoided any substantive peace talks for more than five years, regardless of who had been chosen to represent the Palestinian side as interlocutor.

More @ http://tinyurl.com/puvlf cartercenter

Remember the halcyon days when former US presidents did little more than open new shopping centers and play golf? If they did express any political opinion it never clashed with current US policy.

Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have broken all new ground in their attempts to sabotage US policy in regards to any thing. Jimmy Carter was responsible for the disaster in Iran and it is he we have to thank for the start of the current problems we have with Iran.

Jimmy Carter never met a terrorist or a Communist he didn't like. I shudder each time I think that this Commie was in command of a nuke sub and POTUS. His support for Hamas is typical of the sort of scum he supporst worldwide. The Pal's are all terrorists and letting them starve in the dark is a great idea.

While I am far from happy with Bush & Co on many issues at least they aren't supporting Hamas, Castro, and the like.