Right in the middle of all of the headlines swirling around Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic rant about Jews being "responsible for all the wars in the world," is another one of Jimmy Carter's op-ed pieces. In his typically "balanced" fashion, Carter pontificates that "There will be no substantive and permanent peace for any peoples in this troubled region as long as Israel is violating key U.N. resolutions, official American policy and the international 'road map' for peace by occupying Arab lands and oppressing the Palestinians."
Why does our former President always feel the need to blame Israel for the lack of peace in the Middle East? Is there no culpability on the part of Hamas, Hezbollah, or their terrorist sponsors? Not for Jimmy Carter. In his fairy tale analysis of the Middle East, peace will descend upon this war-torn region as soon as Israel returns to its pre-1967 borders. Does Jimmy really believe that when Israel returns to its pre-1967 borders, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and Syria will exchange basketball teams with Israel instead of bombs?
I don't think so. Jimmy's prejudices are showing again. He just can't help himself. How else can you explain his obsession with always blaming Israel for everything that is wrong in the Middle East?
At least Mel Gibson professes to be embarrassed by his prejudices and repudiates them.
Unfortunately, the viewpoint expressed by former President Carter is not unique - it is becomingly increasingly, and distressingly, common in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Denying this fact, which is increasingly obvious and will soon be clear to the average voter, helps nothing. Rather, it needs to be explicitly confronted and rejected by the party leadership, so that all can see that the Democratic Party is no less supportive of Israel than the Republican.
Posted by: vicky osk | August 09, 2006 at 03:58 PM