[Lillie_Steins]

Here is a most enlightening interview on ABC Radio (Australia's National Radio) with Ex-President Carter:

Elders group seeks peace

The following exchange illustrates the shoddy propaganda tactics used by Carter to blacken Israel's image:

ANNE BARKER: Do you believe though that the two peoples are becoming more divided; that this generation of both peoples seem to have less and less contact than they did in the past?

JIMMY CARTER: There's no doubt about that. I think the recent regimes in Israel have wanted to see this divide emphasised.

Just a few years ago there were 40 or 50,000 Palestinians every day going in and out across the 67 borders, working in jobs in Israel. Trade and commerce was going on.

The Israelis have stopped all of that intercommunication and they even prohibit the Arabs who live in Israel and who are citizens of Israel from being able to visit their friends and relatives across the narrow border which you can see just standing on the hill top.

So I think the Israelis have decided to clamp down and to prevent any more intercommunication than is absolutely necessary. That needs to be changed. Odd, he seems to have forgotten about the spate of suicide bombings that were initiated by the Palestinian Arabs against Israeli civilians in the wake of Ehud Barak's peace offer in 2000/2001. Of course the murderous suicide bombing campaign had nothing to do with the divide that has been created by the two peoples (and the restrictions imposed by Israel), eh President Carter?

On ya Carter for trying to fool my fellow Australians about this conflict. Hopefully there will be many who will see through your shoddy and biased tactics ...

[TorryJens]

And here is another interesting answer from Carter:
ANNE BARKER: Should Israel be negotiating with Hamas directly?

JIMMY CARTER: Not directly, no, but they're negotiating in effect with Hamas and Fatah through the leader of both parties and that is Mahmoud Abbas Not directly, eh Carter? I wonder if your negativity has anything to do with the fact that you know very well that Hamas is on the record of rejecting any idea of direct negotiations with Israel? But of course you don't want to talk about that, do you Mr Carter?

[LottiFurmann]

Come on you have to admit it is so ridiculous. EVERYONE knows that Israel negotiates with Hamas. They also negotiate with Hezbollah. They should just come out and do it in the open, they are so stupid with this "indirect" negotiation nonsense. I am glad that Bibi said he wanted direct negotiations with Syria. Let's do it all out in the open.

PS The US also negotiates with Sunni terrorists in Iraq. As a matter of fact, a lot of the reasons the surge was "successful" was because the US bribed Sunni terrorists to drop their weapons. We have bribed them to stop bombing each other. Some strategy.

[Lt_Apple]

Yala

You appear to be under misconception. Are you aware that it is Hamas who is not willing to negotiate directly with Israel? And that's because they don't want to give the impression that they recognize Israel as a legitimate entity.

The point that I was making about Carter was that he neglected to mention that policy of Hamas.

Israel's Official policy HAS been that of no negotiations with Hamas until they recognize past agreements, renounce violence and recognize Israel. While I agree with you that such a policy is a charade, I'll remind you again that people like Carter are critical of Israel because of it yet they pretend that the issue of negotiations is entirely up to Israel. But we all know or should know that it takes two parties to negotiate!