Jimmy Jimmy Carter. Kofi Annan. Failed Leadership. Clear Bias.
Jimmy Carter, in the twilight of a wonderful life, has allowed the word “apartheid” to be used on the cover of his latest book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Apparently the 39th President has failed to understand the difference between continuous compromise on the part of Israel, and an endless array of violence leveled by militant terrorists against Israel’s civilian population.
Ex-Presidents deserve respect, but President Carter’s bias against Israel and reasonable American policies is a little hard to take, especially from a man who allowed the Islamic Revolution to begin with his mishandling of the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and 1980. His recent criticism of the Iraq war was clear and measured but his bias against Israel is clear and dangerous.
And then, there is Kofi Annan.
It pained me several years ago when U.N. Secretary Gerneral Kofi Annan received the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia. Annan, whose reign was marked by a huge corruption scandal, spent his Monday at the Truman library where he scolded the U.S. for not taking a more diplomatic role in its foreign relations. Much of what Annan said could be the correct analysis. But hearing it from him was all the more painful.
The Secretary General has been a divisive leader. He was the most anti-American U.N. leader ever. His sided against Israel, always condemning the Israeli’s , even when they gave up land, and the rockets still kept coming from Hamas. He failed to sense urgency in the Islamic holy wars and genocide in Africa. His was a flawed term of inequality and favoritism.
The United Nations has always been a body tainted by partisan politics. The original charter of seeking peace through shared concern has been broken down over the years.
Annan is an eloquent and charming man. But his partisan style was bad for America, and hardly helpful to the rest of the world.
Comments(7)
With all due respect, to your views, I STRONGLY disagree with your assessment of Jimmy Carter’s efforts. Former President Carter – because of his Presidency, his philanthropic works around the world, his extensive contacts at the highest levels and his first hand familiarity with the issues in the Middle East is better placed than almost anyone to have a clear view on the regions’ ills. He accurately describes the conditions on the ground. He also – accurately – states the challenges each side needs to face up to have a true peace.
Jimmy Carter may have not been the greatest of President, but he is without question, the greatest of statesmen in the last 100 years. He is strong enough and brave enough to stand up to the Jewish establishment which has had a long standing policy of aggressively attacking anyone who challenges its interests. He also is able to stand up to a more dangerous foe – the Christian Right, with its racist religious dogma which effectively sanctions ethnic cleansing and genocide in the region in order to bring about their long-awaited Second Coming.
The State of Israel has never offered a true peace to the Arabs. You state that Israel has been engaged in “continuous compromise”. The facts expose that claim as a complete falsehood. Israel has maintained an aggressive posture vis-Ã -vis the Arabs for the last 50 years, based on its nuclear forces and airborne military, and its financial and economic superiority. Israel has illegally confiscated land, water resources, taken control of all meaningful (or eliminated any competing) economic assets and imposed severe legal restrictions on the Palestinians. Even inter-ethnic marriage is now under assault. Think of it – in a theocratic country created as an escape from European oppression!!!!
Furthermore, Israel helped create to Hamas (no it’s deadliest enemy), in an absurd effort to weaken Fatah and the PLO. This is a fact most people conveniently forget. Or worse, certain people work to hide.
Israel’s allies actively suppress Palestinian views and voices, distort news coming from the Occupied Territories, or counter each and every message the Arabs want to deliver with pro-Israel propaganda.
If truth leads to justice, Israel would not have to go to such lengths to “manage” the world’s perceptions of the conflict. And the nation’s frequently used strategy of hiding behind allegations of anti-Semitism is a trick that’s getting old and tired.
The REAL truth here is just as President Carter states – Israel is creating a virtual apartheid state in Palestine. Israel is hoping to impoverish and demoralize the Arabs, forcing them into abject submission to its national interests. In Israel’s view (and by its actions), Palestinians have no rights which Israel needs to respect (including human rights). This from a nation that begs the entire world to respect its rights, honor Jewish suffering and Israeli rights for self determination. This has to be one of the great ironies of human history.
Unfortunately for Tel Aviv, the combination of Palestinian demographics, Gulf oil money, the Iranian theocrats, Hamas militancy and Arab nationalism increasingly serve to prevent that from happening.
Until Israel offers a true peace (which will include truly renouncing visions of Greater Israel, allowing the Palestinians to have a real nation with a real economy and infrastructure, and a firmly recognized and accepted right to their own self determination), the conflict will only get worse. And it’s a conflict in which no measure of economic or military might will provide long term victory.
In my view – which I’m sure you’ll take offence to as well – the best comparison is not to pre-1990 South Africa. It’s to pre-1980 Zimbabwe.
I appreciate your thoughtful response, but I couldn’t disagree with you more.
Isreal is held up to a double standard by the UN and by Jimmy Carter. Isreal conistently makes concessions and gets rockets in return.
President Carter, who should know better, has adopted some of the greatest arguments of anti-Israeli fscists. That is tragic.
As far as a true peace: Israel has a true peace with Egypt and Jordan. The Palestinians virtually have a state. Their leadership along with the madman in Tehran wants nothing short of eliminating all the Jews in the Middle East.
:Greater Israel, by theb way, is slightly larger than New Jersey.
Again, thanks for writing.
Larry
Unfortunately Larry you continue – as do many others – to simplify complex facts to make your point. Or you completely ignore data that doesn’t fit your view of the world.
The concessions so many people claim Israel is making are all based on expropriated land and other assets which Israel has no right to in the first place. Giving up the Gaza Strip as a concession – taking Gaza was terribly twisted moral, economic and security thinking which allowed several hundred settlers to live among 1 million+ Palestinians at an enormous financial cost to the Israeli government and – more importantly – huge social costs to the Palestinians themselves. And thats just one example. Much of these so-called concessions are simply Israel recognizing that the ultra-Zionist dream of Greater Israel is a military and social impossibility. Accepting reality is not a concession for peace.
You claim that the Palestinians virtually have a state – I can think of no state in the history of the world where another power retains control over all land and sea borders, the air space, ports, air travel, aquifers and the most productive agricultural acreage. And retains a preemptive right to intervene militarily as it sees fit. That’s not a state Larry. Shame on you. That – as President Carter states – is apartheid.
Also, Israel’s double standard by the UN works both ways. People expect more from Israel because Israel always claims the moral high ground, either due to the suffering Jews experienced at the hands of the Nazis or due to guerilla terrorism. (And I define Hamas’ actions that way as opposed to state sponsored terrorism which Israel, Columbia and Sudan among others practice).
Finally, there is no true peace between Israel and Egypt or Jordan. The US has brought off the elites of both nations with financial incentives and security guarantees. They are both police states, and quite corrupt ones at that. Remove those despots (especially Mubarak and his son), and the so-called peace you refer to would disappear overnight.
Regarding Iran, that country’s leadership may be insane. But no serious leader in the Middle East (especially one without a security cover from the US) can ignore Israel’s nuclear arsenal, Israel’s illegal rampage against Lebanon or the commodity-based economies which can’t sustain their peoples’ growth and aspirations.
If nothing else, Iran’s bellicosity will force Israel to accept the only solution which will guarantee it’s long term survival – a true multiethnic, multireligious state with protections for all of its citizens and a well trained leadership focused on advancing the entire nation’s interest. Without that, there is no possible peace or happiness as so many people state.
Larry, you’ve summed up Jimmy Carter’s position on the Palestinian/Israeli issue quite well. Mr. Carter is playing into the hands of those whose core belief about Israel is that it doesn’t have a right to exist. Israel does have a right to exist. I hope Mr. Carter is only guilty of naivete on this issue–otherwise, he’s as bad as the Israel haters. And he should know better.
Apparently Larry you have a great number of anti semites reading your articles. Not only do they not understand the facts about the history of the Jewish Arab conflict they also need a good history lesson on Jimmy Carter. Keep up the good work Larry.
Missy,
You just made Ken’s point about labeling people who disagree with anything Israel does, as anti-semites. He was concise and logical in laying out his views, regardless of one’s stance on them. You simply dimissed him as having no knowledge about the conflict. But you failed to support your statment with anything remotely factual, which tells you don’t know much about it either.
Please read my current column for a reply on all of this.