Israel Matzav

Carter's blindness

Over the weekend, the Washington Post ran an op-ed by former President Jimmy Carter, in which he once again slammed Israel for 'blockading' Gaza (a 'blockade' that is apparently becoming quite effective in convincing 'Palestinians' of the need for regime change there) and for not implementing a 'settlement freeze.' I blogged it here.

In Tuesday's Washington Post, Elliott Abrams responds to Carter. Here's his bottom line (Hat Tip: Memeorandum):

Carter claims that the expansion of Israeli settlements is "rapidly" taking Palestinian land. Yet four years ago Israel gave up the Gaza Strip and all the settlements there (plus four small West Bank settlements); moreover, Carter presents no data suggesting that Israel's West Bank settlements are actually expanding physically. Their population is growing, but new construction is almost all "up and in," meaning that the impact on Palestinians is limited -- and that the picture Carter paints of a rapidly disappearing Palestine is inaccurate.

Most inaccurate of all, and most bizarre, is Carter's claim that "a total freeze of settlement expansion is the key" to a peace agreement. Not a halt to terrorism, not the building of Palestinian institutions, not the rule of law in the West Bank, not the end of Hamas rule in Gaza -- no, the sole "key" is Israeli settlements. Such a conclusion fits with Carter's general approach, in which there are no real Palestinians, just victims of Israel. The century of struggle between moderate and radical Palestinians, and the victories of terrorists from Haj Amin al-Husseini to Yasser Arafat, are forgotten; the Hamas coup in Gaza is unmentioned; indeed the words "Hamas" and "terrorism" do not appear in Carter's column. Instead of appealing for support for the serious and practical work of institution-building that the Palestinian Authority has begun, Carter fantasizes about a "nonviolent civil rights struggle" that bears no relationship to the terrorist violence that has plagued Palestinian society, and killed Israelis, for decades. Carter's portrait demonizes Israelis and, not coincidentally, it infantilizes Palestinians, who are accorded no real responsibility for their fate or future. If this is "the Elders' view of the Middle East," we and our friends in that region are fortunate that this group of former officials is no longer in power.

Jennifer Rubin adds:

So the question remains: can Carter be this ignorant? Well, it would be hard to miss so much recent history and avoid so many facts unless you were trying. One can’t but conclude that Carter—and his fellow “Elders” Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu, fresh from their Medal of Freedom award ceremony—share an underlying animosity toward the Jewish state. Their determination to perpetuate falsehoods that all—like magic!—line up against Israel should be seen for what it is.

Carter's not just ignorant or an anti-Semite. He's also a liar. In his Sunday op-ed, he wrote this:

Just south of Jerusalem, the Palestinian residents of Wadi Fukin and the nearby Israeli villagers of Tzur Hadassah are working together closely to protect their small shared valley from the ravages of rock spill, sewage and further loss of land from a huge settlement on the cliff above, where 26,000 Israelis are rapidly expanding their confiscated area. It was heartwarming to see the international harmony with which the villagers face common challenges and opportunities.

Last night, there was a forest fire right off the main Jerusalem - Tel Aviv highway and I had to go to Beit Shemesh. I took a narrow, winding mountain road with no lights to get there, but I wasn't willing to do that in the dark on the way back. So I went out the back end of Beit Shemesh and up a highway that runs past that place with '26,000 Israelis' (Beitar Ilit - Carter couldn't be bothered with the name), and through the Gush Etzion tunnel into southern Jerusalem. It's far out of the way, but at least it's reasonably safe.

As I passed Tzur Hadassah, I turned and headed east toward Beitar. I didn't see Tzur Hadassah as being so far below Beitar, so I did some checking.


What Carter doesn't tell you is that Wadi Fukin and Tzur Hadassah are within Israel's 1949 armistice lines (in other words, the 'Palestinians' in Wadi Fukin are actually 'Israeli Arabs') and that the Wadi Fukin residents are complaining of ecological damage from both Beitar Ilit (which is just on the other side of the armistice line) and from Tzur Hadassah (although the 'sewage' complaints seem to be limited to Beitar Ilit). Beitar Ilit and Tzur Hadassah sit atop opposite ends of the Wadi.

Furthermore, much of the damage is anticipated future damage from construction plans to expand both Jewish towns and to widen road 375 - the road I took last night. In other words, it may happen and it may not. The impression that Carter gives that people's homes in Wadi Fukin are being destroyed or constantly damaged by rock slides and sewage are exaggerated and probably false and misleading.

But then, I wouldn't expect anything else from Jimmy Carter.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:54 PM