Carter embraces Hamas official at West Bank meeting
JERUSALEM (AP) - Former President Carter angered Israel's government Tuesday by embracing a Hamas politician during a visit to the West Bank, ignoring Israeli and U.S. designation of the Islamic militants as a terror group. Israel accused Carter, the broker of the first Arab-Israeli peace accord, of "dignifying" extremists. But Carter vowed to meet Hamas' supreme leader this week in Syria.
Carter, a Nobel Peace laureate, also laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat's grave, another break with U.S. policy during a private peace mission to the Middle East that includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Syria - where the virulently anti-Israel Hamas movement has its headquarters. Carter returns to Israel on Monday.
Carter has been shunned by Israel this week, and the White House has criticized him for his willingness to meet with Hamas leaders. Carter says the U.S. and Israel should stop isolating the group, whose control of the Gaza Strip threatens to undermine Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
"Since Syria and Hamas will have to be involved in a final peace agreement, they have to be involved in discussions that lead to final peace," Carter said in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
During the graveside ceremony, a two-man honor guard escorted the 83-year-old Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. Carter placed the wreath on the grave, then solemnly nodded before turning away. Later, a Palestinian host told Carter that Arafat's resting place was temporary, and the Palestinians hope to move his remains to Jerusalem one day. Carter did not react.
Presidential failure and terrorist sympathizer Jimmy Carter has outdone himself this time. Leave it to Carter to alienate both his own government and that of Israel, our only firm ally in the Middle East, in favor of cozying up to Hamas terrorists who have repeatedly vowed to destroy the Israeli state.
Carter says that the U.S. and Israel should stop isolating Hamas, those poor terrorist babies. How comforting it would have been to hear Carter say that Hamas should stop murdering Israeli civilians. Of course, that would be mean to the terrorist butchers. Carter believes we must make peace with mass murderers. He is wrong.
The only redeeming aspect of Carter's failed presidency (by default, that is) is that it made way for the great Ronald Reagan.
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