What about the Palastinian Charter that Arafat had promised to change, but to this day, the Charter still calls for Israels destruction. The bogus Palastinians only exist as a proxy for other Arab nations to destroy Israel. They have been given oppurtunities many times to create their own state, but refuse to take it because that goes against their plan. DROR, WHY DO YOU DENY THE FACTS?

he has "loved" us from the beginning. he should not be on any committee dealing with israel.

Dror, I know it is hard to accept a large chunk of history all at once but try to learn the big bit before 1967 and then try to understand the period post '67 - because no-one likes a President who consorts with Americas enemies - not just Israel. History does not start and end with Israel - although one would think so according to the BBC and CNN and Dror - we don't live in a vacuum! President Carter gave Arafat legitimacy and the world Islamic terrorism by backing the wrong horse in Iran. He rid Iran of the Shah and installed the very first fundamentalist regime. For that I would shun him too!!!

Typical post-Zionist nonsense. Carter was a lousy President, and is a horrid ex-President. He never met a dictator or thug he wouldn't suck up to. If you want to tear the country apart, just try to expel 300,000 Jews from their homes, just to make the West Bank judenrein. But maybe that's what the author wants.

Dror Etkes and Jimmy Carter are two very confused men. So confused it's painful. I know it's comforting to think that Israel is to blame and if Israel is just a little nicer, a little gentler, and a little more conciliatory, everything will be fine. This is a bizarre fantasy. The moral chasm between Israel and its Arab neighbors--including the Palestinians--is staggering. I am in openmouthed disbelief that Dror Etkes can't see the painfully obvious: the more Israel concedes, retreats, and negotiates, the weaker the Arabs perceive it to be. Israel needs to dramatically increase Jewish settlement of Judea and Samaria, while encouraging Arab emigration (don't forget that the Arab countries have expelled 99% of their Jewish population--without compensation). That's the only rational way to ensure security.

We do delude ourselves that we can fool all the Americans all the time.

As an American born Israeli, i must strongly disagree with the premise of this article. Carter was a fool in dealing with the Iran revolution and tried appeasement. It did not work then, it will not work know. Unfortunately these particular types of people are not like the good souther Christians he grew up with and understands. These are people who believe that the next life is so much better that would rather send their children to blow themselves up rather than talk peace. I suggest he finds a short story called "We See Things Differently" by Bruce Sterling (a copy is at www.revolutionsf.com/fiction/weseethings/01.html )

Is enough for Etkes to praise him. Carter is no fool but Etkes sure is. Carter makes a ton of money being a "peace-maker" & is financed by big-time Arab money. Etkes, on the other hand, is a fool for free. It's pointless refuting people like Etkes on specifics - his reasoning (or lack of) is so detached from reality that common sense, logic, & factual analysis cannot touch him. He belongs to a cult, like Hari Krishnas or Scientologists, an alternate reality based on faith rather than facts. Carter, on the other hand, while he may believe some of his own BS, is a cynical manipulator of the media whose goal is his own self-promotion. This is his "market niche" so to speak - the same "market" as Obama, who Carter recently endorsed.

he is called peanut head.i see him as one babtist jew hater and old fart who needs attention.he was the worse president in usa aand arab lover.his father maybe arab and he should do some DNA testing. HAG SAMEYAH TO ALL and dont write this kind of foolish words

Its stupid on those israeli peoples part to try to "forget" and expect the rest of the world to "forget." No hard feelings to all to you israelis out there: you cant choose to shove things down our throats and what not. for example: Till today, the holocaust is mentioned in some way to stir pity to over look your recent, well, since 1948 activities. its grotesque that once, and very recently, that a people, along with others, were being exercised upon with horrible treatment; and that now, not so long in the distant future, these very people that one would expect to hold some-atleast humility and decency for humans are practicing the exact same, and worse even treatment upon others, others that grudgingly shut their mouths and accepted the israelis. no. no, israelis, we wont "forget." and i hope and wish that people with this (because we cant generalize peoples) certain mentality cant and wont be able to sleep at night, and also will never feel safe; just as you reduced the state of the palestinians presently to. may by it would be too cynical to wish the same treatment to happen upon israel, since it has happened in hitlers era; anyway, not all of us are that cruel. lets just sit back and watch where this is going to end (though we all know when) its only fair.

I think it has been apparent for a while now that he isnt president, thank you for emphasizing. clearly he doesnt live in the white house for a while now. true though, he isnt president anymore; so why do others still treat him as such? any normal citizen wouldnt draw on all this publicity. the israeli govt' would just refuse his permit proposal and thats it. or he could lie and say he wants to visit abbas or see the landscape and turn out to see hamas. like normal citizens.

Dror Etkes and all his Herzelist elitist friends are infected by the "settler syndrome" , which as one of its symptons destroys ones common sense and increases ones selfcenteredness. Etkes and co have no abilty to listen and hear that in the eyes of their Arab friends , all of us are settlers, this means all of Israel which includes Tel Aviv and Haifa. This is very scary especially when ones goal is to be as far removed as possible, from ones Jewish roots and lifestyle. No matter how morally elevated Etkes and co think they are, the world will never let them forget who they realy are. Selfloathing will not help them, assimilating will not help them , only returning to their real roots will cure them of their "settler syndrome".

The proof of that is Syria. Syria has done all that Israel asks of the Palestinians. Since the Golan Heights were taken, there has been peace on Israel's northern border; even when Israel attacks, Syria does not retaliate - so Israel thinks to itself "We needn't do anything, the status quo is fine". Had the Palestinians behaved the same, all of the West Bank would have been taken up by settlers. A sad but true fact: if it were not for Palestinian terrorism, there wouldn't be any Palestinians in Palestine.

He places flowers at Arafat's tomb and praises what a courageous leader he is. Does he really think like that? or is he just trying to garner trust with the Palestinians in order to be a relevant mediator. That's funny because he is always giving it to us between the eyes making it very difficult for us to trust him as a mediator. So what is he accomplishing? He blew it the first time while he was president dealing with Muslim extremists (The Iranian hostage crises) leaving a whole generation of Americans at the mercy of Muslim extremists who saw what saps we were. Thanks to him interfering with US foreign policy under the Clinton administration North Korea has the bomb. Why on earth would we Israelis want him to mediate between ourselves and Hamas? This is completely regardless of what anybody thinks of the settlement enterprise. Carter calls us racists. Why does he not speak to Palestinian homosexuals that we have granted political refugee status from persecution from their "progressive" Palestinian society. Carter lacks any sense of proportion as to what goes on here or anywhere else for that matter.

While he was president of the United States he was vacationing at some lakeside resort. There was this rabbit that was swimming towards his rowboat. He found the rabbit menacing and ordered one of his secret servicemen to shoot it. He commented afterwards the the rabbit had a very determined look on its face. This idiot who takes a rabbits intentions all out of proportion. Travels the world and mediates negotiations between parties that are armed to the teeth while lecturing them to have a sense of proportion.

Ask the Christian minorities and homosexuals how they feel under their PLO and Hamas ruled areas?

Actually, as an American citizen Carter does not have the legal right to be meeting with Maashal against the wishes of the US Secretary of State. There is a law called the Logan act which prohibits any American citizen from conducting his own foreign policy without permission of the executive branch. One can be jailed for up to three years for breaking this law. Carter is right now breaking the law by insisting on speaking to Hamas against the wishes of the US government. He also pulled this sh**t under the Clinton administration. The only reason that nobody has ever pressed charges against him is fear of a potential political backlash. The Americans do not need Jimmy carter. He in fact seems to forget that he is no longer president. There is a current administration that was democratically elected. Let them decide whether to negotiate with Hamas.

Another great articles. I thanks you for opening eyes and putting mirror in front of our face.

I am always amazed at how so called experts,and writers describe the middle east,do they not get it?.The world outside of the middle east in concerned about only two things and that is contracts,and the flow of oil.When I hear people talking about friends of Israel,or friends of the arabs it makes me laugh.The world wants stability in the middle east so that business can be made without difficulty,and that is why the U.S. continues to support Egypt.Carter has only one objective and that is fund raising for his habitat for humanity.Carters book was all about raising funds for this organisation.Wealthy arab kings are all too willing to support anyone with a famous name if they speak in support of the palestinian people.Those kings know how unpopular they are,and they also know how popular the palestinian cause is on the arab streets.By openly supporting anything palestinian,the kings earn a tiny bit of credibility,and this allows them to rule longer.If you follow the money trail you will find that almost every current and former politician that speaks on the middle east,is in it for the money alone.Has anyone heard any loud screams from the mayor of london,or Carter,Messhiemer,Walt...ect, on Darfur,Tibbet,Chechnia,or human rights violations in any part of arabia?..dont hold your breath,it wont happen.The real cowards have always been the media,who are afraid to offend by telling the truth about the situation in fear of losing money through loss in cutomers,loss in direct donations,and loss in advertisements.In some cases such as the cartoons of Denmark the media just feared for the safety of its workers.

http://www.cohenufo.org/carter/carter_abvtopsec.htm Jimmy Carter is not dumb and he's not intentionally mean. He's just, well, a Carter from Plains, GA. You guys would have really loved his brother Billy. Now there was a true Statesman: He didn't give a s--t for nothing and nobody, except his can of beer. Oh, and Grandma was no verbal slouch, either. Actually, we kind of miss the entertainment.

The fact that the only two supportive responses here came from a Brit who thinks Syria wants peace and a naive Frenchie who commends the condemnation of Israeli confirms the ignorance of this entire article. Sderot has been rocketed daily for YEARS; our soldiers have been kidnapped and killed. Where is the outcry for OUR people, for OUR brothers and sisters? Everyone's always crying about the "poor" Palestinians, "poor" Arabs in Israel. If they wanted a country, if they wanted peace, they could have had it long ago. They want us dead and they want us out, ALL of us, from ALL of Israel. Wake up and smell the coffee before it's too late.

I don't know about Carter, but, apparently Dror Etkes can be fooled.

TO: Ron Ben-Yishai ▪ Nahum Barnea ▪ Sever Plocke. Just a suggestion: Leave your ivory tower in Israel and move to Gaza and live with your nobel freinds.. you are pathetic

in U.S. history! he is a nut and is a shame to the U.S. he is the U.S. version of pres.peres.