Sixty-nine years ago today, the UN partitioned Palestine between Palestinians and Jews. Since that time, no single individual had done more to promote peace between Arabs and Jews than President Jimmy Carter, who negotiated the Camp David Accords between Sadat and Begin in September, 1978. That was the beginning of a two state solution under which Palestinian Arabs and Jews can share the land in peace. Now that the coming Fuhrer has promised to side with Butcher Bibi Netanyahu to support a single state of Israel, Carter is trying to defend his legacy, before Obama leaves office.
Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who brokered peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David, has called on Barack Obama to recognize the State of Palestine (as the United Nations refers to the non-member observer state) before he leaves office in January.
Of the U.N.’s 193 members, 136—more than 70 percent—recognize the State of Palestine and the Palestinian push for an independent state. But the U.S., Israel and dozens of other nations do not, with many arguing that the recognition of a Palestinian entity can only come about through direct talks and agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The current U.S. government supports a two-state solution but Israeli ministers have suggested that the election of Donald Trump as the next president has dealt a huge blow to hopes of a Palestinian state. On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and called for continued Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Carter has now stepped into the debate with an op-ed for the New York Times on Monday…
From <Newsweek>
I fully support the recognition of the nation of Palestine. That said, I am neither anti-Israel, nor anti-Jew. I’m part Hebrew myself. I do oppose the present government of Israel’s abandonment of the two-state solution in violation of treaties in favor of creating a single state by military attrition, leaving Palestinians second-class residents. Obama should grant Carter’s request.
I urge you to read Carter’s op-ed.
20 Responses to “Carter Defends His Legacy”
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Jimmy Carter, most humble President and last one who lived his post-Presidency life serving the world.
Amen!
In some ways I would love to see Trump join Pres. Carter in the post-president mode shortly – but that would leave us w/ president Pence … and that's a case of "Jumping from the frying pan into the fire".
Besides, Trump would want to start building his presidential "library" – and I'm not sure there are enough coloring books in the world to stock it!
More Amen!
Right now I am just gritting my teeth that Jimmy Carter, just possibly the best human being to have ever held the office of the President of the United States, has to defend his legacy! And, yes, I know, Washington, Lincoln, TR, FDR, etc. I didn't say the best President, I said the best human being, and I stand by that, and add that he was also a better President than he has ever been given credit for. I am pretty sure I know where I stand on this (spoiler: with everything TC says), but will certainly read what he has to say.
Still another Amen!
I have always had a tender heart for Mr. Carter. He is the epitome of goodness and I hope and pray this gets resolved, and quickly.
I remember Pres. Carter as the most peaceful president we ever had! They might do well to listen to Pres. Carter. He's been there and done that!
The Nobel Peace Prize 2002
The Nobel Peace Prize 2002 was awarded to Jimmy Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development".
Details:
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2002/
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Jimmy Carter was maligned by the press, laughed at for his home spun way of talking and generally jeered at. I voted for him twice and was devastated when Reagan won. Jimmy Carter is the real deal. He cares about peace and harmony and has continued to work to help others since he left the White House. His work, with his wife, for Habitat for Humanity has been outstanding. I blamed the media for his loss, just as I blame them now for Trump's win.
While I join in with all the laudation bestowed on Jimmy Carter – he was good president, much better than he gets credit for and he was, is and will remain an exceptionally good man – I also like to get to the heart of what he has to say in his op-ed: the two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the recognition of the Palestinian state, although there is little to add to what Mr. Carter himself and TomCat have said on this issue.
On the chance I'll be called a self-hating Jew again, I firmly believe that a two-state solution is the only way forward to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people. As it stands now, Israel has illegally grabbed occupied so much Palestinian land and and resources and endangering the very existence of Palestinians living there, that the process is coming close to being irreversible. It can be brought to a halt only if more, especially Western countries acknowledge the rights of the Palestinian people and America should take the lead in that. Or as Mr. Carters puts it: "I am certain that United States recognition of a Palestinian state would make it easier for other countries that have not recognized Palestine to do so, and would clear the way for a Security Council resolution on the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Jimmy Carter, being the man he is, is not so much defending his legacy as the rights, and lives, of a people and the only chance of a solution that acknowledges the rights of both states to live in peace and security. He is right to suggest this to Obama now; under not-the-popular-vote president Trump what is left of the Palestinian state will be wiped from the map. Kudos for doing this, Mr. Carter.
You're in the good company: From a Poll in August, a majority of Israelis and Palestinians favor a two-state solution.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2016/0822/Poll-Majority-of-Israelis-Palestinians-want-peaceful-solution
I ahree, bit I would say that the rights, and lives, of a people and the only chance of a solution that acknowledges the rights of both states to live in peace and security is his legacy.
"Sel-hating Jew," hmm? I won't call it the last refuge of a bigot, because they don't save it for last, but one of the ugliest weapons of bigotry is to try to trash by misinterpreting anyone who has any shred of compassion for humanity. "N****r-lover." "Cuckservative." I wouldn't waste the effort to tell them to go to hell. If there is a hell, they will.
Everything Lona said. Jimmy Carter – like Obama – was way ahead of his time. He refused to lower his standards and took a lot of heat from people too deranged to understand him. I liked him as President and I like him even more now.
Thanks TC. I agree with everything to laud President Carter – the best man to hold that office. People with integrity do seem thin on the ground these days…
Jimmy Carter: "We must not squander this chance." — AMEN! Jimmy is spot on!
From Wikipedia: The 29/11/2016 UN vote to upgrade Palestine's status to 'non member observer state'.
While I prefer that Palestine and Israel come to a negotiated settlement, believing such a settlement would be stronger, it obviously is not going to happen as things stand now. Israel has, as TC says, "abandonment of the two-state solution in violation of treaties" and continually stolen Palestinian lands making any negotiation between the two problematic. I think that if the US stepped up NOW to recognise Palestine, other nations might follow. This is a matter of human rights and self determination as a nation.
During the same UN vote, (link above)
Harper was openly pro Israel and Canada's vote does not surprise me. With Trudeau in office, there is a much greater chance that Canada would vote 'yes' to the same resolution. That would make me very happy.
I agree with Lona:
Thanks all. Hugs.
When Jimmy was in the White House, he accomplished little, because he insisted on standinf for truth and honor, refusing to participate in the quid pro quo corruption that Citizens United has made worse than ever,
Accomplishing little, but having that little be just and right, is still preferable to accomplishing a lot of crap. Well, we won't be around, but we canhope that history is fair to him.
Of course.
I feel very positive about Carter, now, and previously. If that one mission to free the hostages from iran had not fallen apart, apparently due to no failure of his own, he'd be WRIT LARGE in our mythology, and we'd never have had a Raygun idiocracy! For whic we are still paying a large price!!!
I read the Op-Ed piece, and agree with it fully.