Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Monday during a visit to Jerusalem that the prospect of an Israel-Palestinian peace accord is “vanishing,” blaming Israeli settlement of the West Bank.
Carter, a longtime critic of Israeli policies, called the current situation “catastrophic” and blamed Israel for the growing isolation of east Jerusalem from the West Bank. He said a Palestinian state has become “unviable.”
“We’ve reached a crisis stage,” said Carter, 88. “The two-state solution is the only realistic path to peace and security for Israel and the Palestinians.”
Carter is currently on a two-day visit leading a delegation known as the “The Elders,” which includes the former prime minister of Norway and the former president of Ireland. The group met with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
But they didn’t meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Carter said that the delegation didn’t request a meeting because they haven’t been granted meetings on previous visits.
Netanyahu has pledged support for a Palestinian state but peace talks with the Palestinians have been frozen for most of his tenure. Carter criticized him for not doing enough.
“Up until now, every prime minister has been a willing and enthusiastic supporter of the two-state solution,” he said.
The Palestinians say they will only return to the negotiating table if Israel freezes settlement construction on occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians. Israel says talks should resume without preconditions.
As president, Carter brokered the historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. But since he left office, he has become increasingly critical of Israel. His 2006 book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” claimed that Israel’s settlement of Palestinian land was the primary obstacle to Mideast peace. The book sparked widespread outrage in Israel.
Carter and the delegation also expressed concern about the ongoing divisions between the main Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas, and vowed support for a Palestinian observer state status bid at the United Nations General Assembly in November.
The group departs for Egypt on Tuesday, where they will meet with newly elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
(AP)
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11 Responses
I believe it is Mr. Carter who is vanishing.
Hopefully, Carter is also vanishing…
How can something that doesn’t exist, “vanish” ?
We would all be better off if Carter vanished from the scene. He hasn’t uttered a word that is favorable to Israel in years. He is oblivious that Israel is under constant threat, always was even prior to the “occupation”, and that he has a personal love to carry on discussion and partying with the groups and regimes who cherish terror and murder. I wish to worst for him and anyone who supports his ventures of hate and anti-Semitism.
carter Sharon gave back asa and what did Israel get; rocket attack. The is no peace partner. Look at Egypt.
You are senile and should be put in a home
ugly jew hater, friend of all those who hate jews. If he legally changed his name to obama, surprisingly, jews would vote for him…….
Based on your picture…. Bchayeihem uvimosum lo nifrodu…. May the vanishing Carter be laid to rest soon near his lifetime partner……..
I must say that I agree with all of the above. Carter must vanish, especially from Israel.
That dummy forgot that Bibi froze the settlement building and the towelheads did absolutely nothing but make more trouble.
As far as wannabe Ayatolla Obummer is concerned he can get on the same trolley as Carter and go visit Arafat permanently.
Carter is a rosho gemura. May Hashem erase his name and memory with that of Amalek and other haters of G-d and the Jewish people!
Great comments, everyone. I enjoyed them all.
Carter should go the way of all reshayim and the sooner the better.
Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust, And take an air conditioner with you, Peanut Head, because you’re going to need it.
The biggest obstacle to peace is not Jews choosing to establish homes in their native land, but those who think of this as somehow illegitimate or even remarkable. Nobody thinks twice about an Arab building a house wherever he likes, or of an Italian living in Italy or a Chinaman in China, but a Jew in Judea is somehow a provocation and an obstacle to peace. Any “peace” that depends on making Judea Judenrein isn’t worth having.