OPINION:
We should be thankful that President Obama is not taking advice from the former President Jimmy Carter, who has long fostered an anti-Israel policy that borders on anti-Semitism (“Rudy Giuliani knocks Jimmy Carter for embrace of Hamas: ’Totally mind-boggling,’” Web, Aug. 7).
I was not surprised when Mr. Carter, along with Mary Robinson of Ireland, came out for the recognition of Hamas as a legitimate partner in peace negotiations with Israel. Since leaving office, Mr. Carter has had a long record of regarding terrorist nations and groups as our friends, while placing the blame on our allies in any international disputes. His trip to Syria in 2008, during which he praised Syrian President Bashar Assad and met with the leaders of Hamas, giving them credibility, was not a high-water mark in our history of human rights defense.
Mrs. Robinson, former president of Ireland and former high commissioner for the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, has joined Mr. Carter in a vendetta against the Jewish state. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the UNHCHR has long been noted for its frequent, unjustified criticism of Israel while egregious human rights violations happened in Syria, North Korea, Iran and China. Both Mr. Carter and Mrs. Robinson have lost all credibility in foreign affairs.
Mr. Carter and his wife have never forgiven the American Jewish electorate for its supposed lack of support during the 1980 election Mr. Carter lost, but Mr. Carter should instead have blamed a failed presidency for his defeat.
NELSON MARANS
Silver Spring
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