Carter; Still a Presidential Outsider

by Elias Akleh

Global Research, April 22, 2008

".....Political suicide or not, Carter decided to tour the Middle East in another attempt, maybe his last, to mediate between Israelis and Arabs. Having monitored the Palestinian elections in 2005 and 2006 and recognizing Hamas as the democratically elected Palestinian representatives, Carter declared his wish to meet with Hamas leaderships in Gaza and in Syria. Despite the criticism of the American administration and the Israeli government to his wishes Carter explained that advancing the peace process in the Middle East requires the involvement of Hamas and Syria......

At the end of his trip that included Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia Carter concluded that “The problem is that Israel and the US refuse to meet with someone who must be involved … There is no doubt that both the Arab World and Hamas will accept Israel’s right to exist in peace within 1967 borders”. Worth to note here that such an existence was militarily forced on Arabs on occupied Palestinian land.

Hamas, one more time, had offered a 10-years truce to Israel if it withdraws from all land occupied since 1967, and would accept the right of Israel to live in peace as a neighbor. Yet Israel and the US administration refuse to accept Hamas as the democratically elected Palestinian government, and refuse to accept all its peaceful gestures, falsely labeling its legitimate right of self defense against Israeli terrorist occupation as terrorism. They also refuse to accept the Arab Peace Initiative that would guarantee peace and security to Israel. Israel has plans for more expansions and is getting ready for another war against Lebanese Hezbollah expected to take place during the coming summer.

Still a presidential outsider to the American power elite, Carter will not succeed in changing the political landscape of the Middle East. Yet his genuine peaceful efforts will definitely have an impact on the perspectives of the Western, especially American, people, who will recognize Israel as what it is; a terrorist state. This is an important step towards peace. "