Israel Matzav

Dhimmi Carter: Give Hamas a Chance

Over at Little Green Footballs, Charles Johnson reports that Dhimmy Carter has called for the world to give Hamas a chance. I wonder if Dhimmi will come here and ride the buses and sit in restaurants in Jerusalem if we do give Hamas a chance....

Hamas deserves to be recognized by the international community, and despite the group’s militant history, there is a chance the soon-to-be Palestinian leaders could turn away from violence, former President Jimmy Carter said Wednesday.

Carter, who monitored last week’s Palestinian elections in which Hamas handily toppled the ruling Fatah, added that the United States should not cut off aid to the Palestinian people, but rather funnel it through third parties like the U.N.

“If you sponsor an election or promote democracy and freedom around the world, then when people make their own decision about their leaders, I think that all the governments should recognize that administration and let them form their government,” Carter said. (Watch the former president cautiously defend Hamas — 4:35)

“If there are prohibitions — like, for instance, in the United States, against giving any money to a government that is controlled by Hamas — then the United States could channel the same amount of money to the Palestinian people through the United Nations, through the refugee fund, through UNICEF, things of that kind,” he added. [Why let legalities get in the way? /sarc CiJ]

Carter expressed hope that “the people of Palestine — who already suffer ... under Israeli occupation — will not suffer because they are deprived of a right to pay their school teachers, policemen, welfare workers, health workers and provide food for people.”

I am ashamed to say that my first vote in a US Presidential election was cast for Dhimmi Carter in 1976. In 1980, I voted for Ronald Reagan.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:03 PM