Carter, defying Israel, meets Hamas ex-minister

[ckramer]

Source: R

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter met an ex-minister in Hamas's government on Tuesday, defying Israeli leaders who shunned the Nobel Peace Prize laureate over his contacts with the Islamist movement.

Carter said he had sought to visit the Gaza Strip, which Hamas seized in June after routing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction. He said the request was turned down, but he did not point the finger at Israel.

A member of Carter's delegation in the West Bank city of Ramallah said Israel rejected the request.

All of the border crossings between Israel and Gaza are controlled by the Jewish state. Egyptian forces are stationed at Gaza's southern border, which is largely closed.

"I haven't been able to get permission to go into Gaza. I would like to. I asked for permission. But I was turned down. But maybe we can find a way to circumvent that. I don't know yet," Carter said.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1464259420080415?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[uppityperson]

1. Carter's strength has always been his ability to deal with foreign affairs. Good for him.

I hope this meeting has a positive outcome.

[Cant trust em]

4. Wouldn't the Iran Hostage Crisis fall into this category?

Maybe I'm wrong here, but maybe you can shed some light.

[uppityperson]

6. In that case, Iran had an agreement with papabush to wait 'til elections over

I'm not a conspiracy nut, though am a cynic and pragmatist.

The Iran hostage crisis was a failure of his, yes. Papabush had an agreement with Iran to not release the hostages until after the election so Reagan would be elected. Other than that, Carter has a really good record. The other reason Reagan beat him was because Carter was so focused on world politics that some stuff in the USA was put on the back burner and papabush/Raygun played on that during campaign. Of course things got worse domestically during their reign, but they played on the "see, Carter doesn't care about things at home, only in the bigger world and see, he can't even get the hostages back, heh, heh, heh".

[Cant trust em]

8. He also renegotiated the Panama Canal treaty to give more control to the Panamanians

and got killed by the RW for it. I mean, it's on their land, afterall. So much for social justice.

[leftynyc]

10. The hostages were in Iran for 444 days

That's approximately 14 months - are you saying papabush knew 14 months in advance of innauguration day that Reagan would be elected? Carter had plenty of time to do something about it - he fucked that up royally and it's the reason he lost the election along with the recession.

[izquierdista]

17. Poppy's treason

Was during the month of October, 1980, interfering with State Department business as a private citizen by meeting with the Iranians in Paris.

Now, Jimmy, his problem was that the novelty cigar lit by Eisenhower in 1953 with the overthrow of Mossaedegh, blew up in 1979 when the shah's health got bad and he couldn't keep the people repressed with the secret police any longer. I had two Iranian school friends during the time the shah was in power and they were scared shitless about things back home. They would NEVER say anything about politics back home, what it was like there, for fear that they would be overheard. Iranians in the '60s and '70s were FAR more scared to speak up than even people from the Soviet Bloc.

And what recession are you referring to? The one that Reagan turned on in his first few months of office? The one that had unemployment WAY up in 1982 so that inflation would go away?

[leftynyc]

23. I'm talking about the recession

that had people waiting in gas lines for up to an hour - that had people only able to get gas on odd/even days.

And I'm perfectly aware of what happened in October of 1980. What about the 11 months prior that the hostages were being held?

[izquierdista]

26. That wasn't a recession

As explained to me by a business school prof at the time, that was a "supply crunch". People driving on 1/4 of a tank all suddenly had to drive with the needle pegged on F. Took just a little over a week until everybody was driving on F and the "problem" solved itself.

For 11 months, Jimmy had to eat crow and backpedal for the last 26 years while the radicals were in control in Iran. Those were some turbulent times there, and they were not in any way going to negotiate with anyone. The longer it dragged on, the more the Iranians tired of it. If John Anderson had won, the result would have been the same, as soon as Carter was gone, they could claim victory, release the hostages, and move on.

[uppityperson]

18. No, I'm saying Carter was working on getting them home and

would've succeeded if papabush hadn't stepped in and met with the Iranians to set up not releasing them until after the election.

[catgirl]

21. A backroom deal was made to stall the release..

in order to make Carter look bad. I thought this was public knowledge.

[leftynyc]

22. That was 6 months after they were taken (n/t)

[catgirl]

25. I won't bother discussing this with you

I avoid RW talking points.

[izquierdista]

27. How did he ever get 1000 posts?

[catgirl]

30. :-)

[marshall]

14. Maybe he can straighten things out in China

Didn't he lead us into a boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 80? Maybe that's a solution for China that he can spearhead.

[movonne]

2. Defying Israel???

[Voice for Peace]

7. exactly. wtf.

[snooper2]

9. You forgot, they are our 51st state...

Holy Joe is the acting Senator...

[LeftishBrit]

24. No. The UK is the 51st state. And that means that we obey Bush. Not the other way round

And the same is no doubt true of Israel. I am amazed at the way that a tiny country is seen as controlling the USA - especially as Olmert is not exactly in great control of Israel itself, let alone of anywhere else.

If the current American government liked Carter, they would probably pressurize Israel successfully to give him more security. But of course they don't like him.

And Joe Lieberman is not from, and does not represent, Israel.

[Lerkfish]

15. yes, apparently it is illegal to defy Isreal.

for a former american president.

:puke:

but is it ok to "defy" Iran?

oh wait, yep, its ok.

[angstlessk]

19. that was exactly my thought when I read the headline!!! WE MUST OBEY ISRAEL!!

[Kolesar]

3. President Carter could get onto the Gaza Strip this way:

Dress more nicely, though, please!

[jasmine621]

5. So, Israel really is occupying Gaza still. nt

[lumpy]

11. Israel controls the borders.

according to the article

[leftynyc]

12. No - but as I understand it

Israel controls the borders - unless he wanted to enter through Egypt which is what he should have done.

[Leftist Agitator]

16. Occupying?

No.

Blockading the free importation of food and fuel, and creating a humanitarian crisis as a result?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

It is disgusting that the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors would institute a policy of collective punishment, but unfortunately unsurprising given the lessons of history.

[Behind the Aegis]

20. Not factual.

Then again, when it comes to this situation, most don't really care about actual facts. As for collective punishment, look to the UN HRC and the UNSC, or better yet, the various "boycott Israel" campaigns. It is also disgusting that two sets of standards are expected in this situation.

[classysassy]

13. Maybe

John Hagee,will tell his pals to let our former president visit?,cut off the cash flow until president carter is allowed to enter.

[fascisthunter]

28. Carter is a Good Man

Thank you sir.... break through the barrier built by hatred.

[mdmc]

29. CARTER IS A GOOD MAN

The last decent person to hold the oval office