Carter 'distressed' by Gaza visit

[struggle4progress]

Source: BBC

Page last updated at 11:19 GMT, Tuesday, 16 June 2009 12:19 UK

Former US President Jimmy Carter has said he had to "hold back tears" while viewing destruction on a visit to Gaza.

He is due to meet leaders from Hamas, which controls Gaza but is considered a terrorist group by western countries.

The veteran politician is expected to hand over a letter for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from his family.

He condemned "deliberate" destruction in Israel's January offensive, but also expressed sadness over Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli towns ...



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8102631.stm

---

Palestinians 'treated like 'animals': Jimmy Carter

By Joseph Krauss – 6 hours ago

GAZA CITY (AFP) — Former US president Jimmy Carter on Tuesday denounced the deprivations facing Palestinians in Gaza as unique in history, asserting that they are being treated "like animals."

"Tragically, the international community too often ignores the cries for help and the citizens of Palestine are treated more like animals than like human beings," he said as he toured the war-torn, blockaded Gaza Strip.

"The starving of 1.5 million human beings of the necessities of life -- never before in history has a large community like this been savaged by bombs and missiles and then denied the means to repair itself," Carter said at a UN school graduation ceremony in Gaza City.

He was referring to the blockade that Israel and Egypt have maintained on Gaza since June 2007 when Hamas, a group pledged to the destruction of the Jewish state, violently seized power in the territory ...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gb7s...

[bdamomma]

1. what a humanitarian Jimmy Carter is

he will never stop trying to get some sort of peace in that region.

[Fedja]

60. The saddest thing

The saddest thing is that we see someone being a human, and we call it a humanitarian. That says a lot about the state of the rest of them.

Nevertheless, Carter should have monuments around the world. One of the greatest men in living history, who remembered that him being big doesn't make other people any smaller.

[rosesaylavee]

2. Thank you President Carter!

[varelse]

3. T.A.N.J.

[No Elephants]

4. IMO, Carter was the most recent Democrat to be elected President. I hope he was not also the last.

Since then, we've had only neocons and Republicrats.

[Iowa]

29. Exactly. n/t

[primavera]

70. Hear, hear - n/t

[NJmaverick]

5. Please MSM pick up this story for a change

[madeline_con]

52. I saw it on TV b4 here. n/t

[No Elephants]

63. For a few seconds. Not a story that will get drummed day after day, like say

Letterman making a joke about Bristol Palin. After all, the MSM has its priorities.

Maybe we should reconsider freedom of the press since the press doesn't seem to be using it for anything important lately.

[cali]

6. Carter is a wonderful person

I largely agree with him here, but he's wrong about Gaza being unique in history.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Robb]

8. Sadness. The only true human emotion that's appropriate here.

Good man.

[slipslidingaway]

9. knr nt

[xchrom]

10. recommend

[JackDragna]

11. The Israelis are barbarians.

Their settlements violate international law, they treat the Palestinians like animals, they threaten their neighbors with attack. It's disgusting.

[WriteDown]

12. There is an easy solution then....

Give Gaza back to Egypt and give the West Bank back to Jordan. Surely they will be welcomed by their Arab brothers as they were years before.

[pattmarty]

13. Yeah, then Egypt and Jordan can "make" a Palestinian state. Smart ass.

[WriteDown]

14. Just like last time....

[pattmarty]

16. At this stage with "thinking capacity" knows that the only way...............

..........for even a hope of stopping this fucking mess, is a Palestinian state however you want to define that. If the Arab states surrounding Israel must also get involved (and give up "things") then so be it. If you have an IQ over 30, you know this shit cannot go on this way.

[chimpymustgo]

15. ANd where does Israel go - Nevada?

[Hugabear]

24. How about back to where Israel was before it stole that land?

Nobody said anything about taking land away Israeli land - merely taking back land that Israel has occupied for several decades. You're aware that Israel existed before it seized Gaza and the West Bank?

[OVERPAID01]

41. Israel does not OWN the land it is on.

By your reasoning, all the land in the U.S.A. should be given back to the native americans, after all this was their land first...

[Chulanowa]

58. I'll take that deal!

If we split up the US according to tribal homeland and current population, this means I would own a pretty nice chunk of either Alabama or Mississippi. And with all the rednecks gone, I might get to enjoy it!

[Ken Burch]

69. OK, but remember to leave the blues guitarists and the rib shacks.

n/t.

[CynicalObserver]

65. Conquest of territory as part of war is as old as time itself.

I am not sure what part of thousands of year of recorded human history don't make this clear.

[JackDragna]

28. Israel can stay where it is.

While it's doing so, it can start treating the Palestinians like human beings.

[CreekDog]

42. If Israel wants to be Jewish and Democratic, then it has to give up largely Palestinian lands

They can keep the West Bank but they won't be democratic and they won't be a Jewish state.

This is why the occupation is so stupid, it actually hurts them to have to rule and control these lands because they can't do it democratically and if they actually expand Israel to encompass them, they will be creating an apartheid system if they deny Palestinians full participation OR they will no longer be a majority Jewish state.

People have to be careful what they ask for, there's often more in the bargain.

[madeline_con]

53. It could stay within its own borders. n/t

[primavera]

71. They're welcome to Texas as far as I'm concerned

Would anyone miss it?

[Rebubula]

20. Yup...

...all of that is completely unprovoked.

Both sides are being assholes. Neither has the high moral ground.

[LeftishBrit]

32. 'Both sides are being assholes. Neither has the high moral ground'

Never was a truer word spoken. And ordinary people get caught between them - especially the people of Gaza.

Though there are also reasonable people on both sides; just not Likud or Hamas.

[cali]

33. they're no more barbarians than Americans or Chjinese or Russians

or anyone else. If the Israelis are barbarians than so too are numerous other peoples. Time to put down stupid broad brushes.

[madeline_con]

54. The Israeli government is barabric. No broad brush there. n/t

[Jim Sagle]

40. So are you.

[Zhade]

66. Come on. Not ALL Israelis. Just those who steal Palestinian land and support said theft.

The Israeli people deserve a better government than the monsters they've had for so long.

[ooglymoogly]

17. The only truly good man elected since the Kennedy election.

The last man with true democratic ideals.

With the entire shadow government working to make sure he did not succeed he still made his mark. A true humanitarian. He deserves the respect of the world.

[tabasco]

64. You got that right.

Traitorous republicons scheming with terrorists to bring down Carter.

Ollie North hand-delivered a birthday cake and gifts to Ayatollah Khomeini!!

The people were too stupid and gullible for a President like Carter and he could not get into the gutter to reach the lowest common denominator.

So we had figurehead corporate shills like Reagan and Bush destroy the country.

[Fozzledick]

18. 'Hamas foiled plot to assassinate Carter in Gaza'

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service

Hamas has foiled an attempt by Palestinian militants to attack former U.S. president Jimmy Carter during his visit to the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian source told news agencies on Tuesday.

According to the source, militants linked with Al-Qaida planted two roadside bombs at a border crossing between Gaza and Israel with the intent of striking Carter's vehicle on his way out of the coastal territory. Witnesses reported seeing Hamas forces patrolling near the Erez crossing and detonating the explosives.

Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab al-Rassin denied the reports, however, saying the group's forces had engaged in routine activity and had no information of an assassination attempt.

Associates of the former president said they had received briefing on the matter, but would not elaborate on the matter.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1093353.html

[marshall]

22. That's enough to bring more tears to his eyes

It must have been a real roller coaster of a trip.

[ooglymoogly]

19. KR for a good man. nt

[TomClash]

21. K & R

Gaza=Soweto.

[Sezu]

23. Damn terrorist lover. n/t

[Bodhi BloodWave]

26. Talking about yourself again i see n/t

[troubledamerican]

49. I think "damn terrorist lover" is sarcasm. If the sentiment was sincere, the accusation would be

"Carter is anti-semitic"

[Bodhi BloodWave]

61. you 'might' be correct

tho considering the posting history of the person i replied to i see no reason to doubt that he meant it.

[Zhade]

67. FUCK YOU, NAZI ASSHOLE.

Get the fuck off DU, you shitbag liar.

[Celtic Merlin]

25. The Gaza Strip is little more than a concentration camp.

While there are no gas chambers in this one, there is a blockade of all things meaningful for life. Not enough food gets in, medical supplies have to be smuggled in from Egypt, and repair of Israel's January destruction is impossible.

Who on this earth can disagree with President Carter's assessment of the situation there?

America should be air-dropping food and medical supplies to these people. The fact that we aren't makes us complicit in the plan to harm the citizens of Gaza. We give Egypt and Israel billions (yes, BILLIONS) of our tax dollars every year and not a dime goes for humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Shameful and disgusting.

Celtic Merlin
Carlinist

[UndertheOcean]

45. Exactly . totally agree +1

[starroute]

27. What's that "violently seized power" business?

From the OP:

He was referring to the blockade that Israel and Egypt have maintained on Gaza since June 2007 when Hamas, a group pledged to the destruction of the Jewish state, violently seized power in the territory ...

From Wikipedia:

Conflict between Fatah and Hamas had been simmering since Hamas won the legislature elections in January 2006. Upon taking power, Hamas offered Israel a one-year extension of the truce that was in force, but announced they would refuse to honor past agreements between the Palestinian Government and Israel, and as a result the US, Israel and the EU cut off aid to Hamas. The U.S. and Israel attempted to undermine the democratically elected Hamas while strengthening President Mahmoud Abbas's position and forcing Hamas from power. The U.S., Egypt, and Israel also armed and trained Fatah for a possible war with Hamas.

The major conflict in Gaza surfaced in December 2006 and was centered on Hamas executive force attempts to control Gaza instead of the Palestinian police. In the April 2008 issue of Vanity Fair the writer David Rose published an article, based on internal US documents, suggesting that the United States collaborated with the Palestinian Authority and Israel to attempt a putsch on Hamas, and Hamas preempted the putsch.

[druidity33]

34. +1! nt.

[Wednesdays]

30. K&R

[ShadesOfGrey]

31. Thank You President Carter! K&R

[lsewpershad]

35. God bless

President Carter

[indimuse]

36. knr!

...

[earth mom]

37. Carter is a hero. This country & it's politicians should be ashamed with how they treat him. nt

[Douglas Carpenter]

38. kick and recommended for the truth !!!!

[Richd506]

39. Carter is a treasure

[Karenina]

43. The basic imbalance on this globe is that

Building takes time, effort and cooperation. DESTRUCTION takes but a second.

[Zhade]

68. So true.

NT!

[UndertheOcean]

44. Thank you Mr. Carter , you are true to your humanity n/t

[shireen]

46. A wonderful humanitarian

if more world leaders had his compassion and sense of justice, the world would not be so screwed up.

[waiting for hope]

47. Bless you Jimmy - Just wish more

people had the heart to see with as you do. K&R.

[ohio2007]

48. ..."expected to hand over a letter for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from his family"

The veteran politician is expected to hand over a letter for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from his family.


Wonder how this incident will end.

[madeline_con]

55. Shalit will cry, and Carter will get back in the car and leave.

[AzDar]

50. Love him.

[thread-bear]

51. k&r

Jimmy Carter has a heart and a conscience,something rare in a president.

[UndertheOcean]

56. kick . n/t

[azurnoir]

57. Kick

President Carter speaks the truth

[harun]

59. Carter, one of the good guys.

[UndertheOcean]

62. yes he is !

[UndertheOcean]

72. kick kick kick