During Carter’s visit to Gush Etzion he saw a living, thriving, and prosperous community. He met with council head, Shaul Goldstein, who did not heed the petition, world renowned Yeshiva (Jewish seminary) head Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, local resident Sherri Mandel whose son Koby was bludgeoned to death with rocks, and Ruth Gillis, whose husband was killed by a Palestinian sniper as he drove home. After hearing their stories Carter declared: “I recognize that their suffering is taking place in an area where strife and misunderstanding and animosity exist.”
All too often, Israeli settlers and their supporters fall into the trap of seeing the entire world as being against them including the United Nations, the international community, and the Israeli left. It becomes all too easy to preach solely to the choir – those who already support the settlers such as many in the US evangelical community. However such disengagement from the broader Israeli public, and especially the international community, also makes it easy for the settlers to be typecast as villains, international pariahs and outlaws.
Yet, in the complex human mosaic that makes up the Arab-Israeli conflict, the settlers too deserve to be heard. Israeli settlers do have their own narratives to tell, consisting of dreams, aspirations, and stories. Many may even want peace – and may be willing to make compromises in order to achieve it. Irrespective of one’s views of the settlements, the voices of Israeli settlers need to be heard by those who want to make a positive difference in this conflict.
The visit certainly did not turn Carter into an admirer of settlements. However he did see another side of the Arab-Israeli conflict and upon leaving stated that "this particular settlement area is not one I ever envision being abandoned or changed over into Palestinian territory".
http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=25796&lan=en&sp=0
= new reply since forum marked as read