Not sure what in the world Pres Carter's visit could acheive...? Hamas will never cease fire until every last Jew has been murdered or has moved.

Carter's book has been denounced as inaccurate at best by people who served in his own administration, so you expect the Israelis to extend him a warm welcome after he told lies about them.

Let carter make peace with Mashal, this says nothing about Mashal's openly stated goal of destroying Israel.

What are the Israelis to negotiate about with Hamas? The terms of Israel's suicide?

Carter has gone off his rocker, Israel does not need to treat him for his delusions.

Jimmy Carter represents hope to all the parties sincere on making peace available in the Middle East during our lifetime. It is imperative that Israel looks beyond its own shortsighted interests of keeping as much land as possible of Palestine and instead engage with an acknowledged and respected senior statesman. Jimmy Carter can assist in facilitating meaningful discussion between all parties including Israel and Hamas in a region, which has been devastated for too long.

Anas Madhi
South Africa

I support Jimmy Carter's effort to negotiate with Hamas. I don't think the Bush Administration's policy of not talking to so many countries and entities have proved effective at all. I am so excited about the exit of the Bush Administration and a return to diplomacy in the US.

It just goes to show you who really wants peace in the region. Anyone who doesn't listen to what Israel wants are branded a defamatory, ridiculed, criticized and/or terrorist~against the land known as Israel. Peace is an unknown word to them. They want to hide what is really happening. I mean after all, it takes two to tangle and you can't call it "in the name of defence" when they go and kill innocents themselves. Palestinians are killed on a daily basis but you don't hear it do ya? NO...but when a few Israelies are killed, the world never stops or I should say, the "elite few" who own the media world never let you hear the end of it. HYPOCRISY, LIES, DECEITS AND CONSPIRACIES is what is being fed to the public. The Palestinians aren't to blame especially when the land the Israelies have IS BEING ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED.

you can call a spade a spade, but what do you call those who invade??? Democrats?

American Muslimah

I also want to add, Carter is known as a peaceful person and he is here to better understand both sides. Negotiations are not his specialty, but truth can prevail if people let it~and he can provide it~if they stop their childish behavior (Isralies). Those who describe him as being inaccurate are usually those who do not know the truth and are scared of the unknown. No matter what, we all return to our Creator and He is the best Judge of us all

American Muslim

I believe that Carter has every legitimate reason to try and talk to Hamas. What is Israel trying to hide? Are they that self conceited as if they own the world and it's people? Why not show the world what they seem to preach to the world---their want for peace---? Is it that they don't really want it-- but want the world to know only their side of the story? Seems that they are not legitimate themselves. What are they hiding?
Why not stand up and tell the truth??????????? Can they?


Speak The Truth

Don't ask what if it fails. Ask what if it works? Let Carter do his work and whatever the outcome it may be, we.. the Palestinians, the jews, the arabs... the whole world must pray real hard that this one visit could unlock the mistrust between the 2 warring parties.
Im a muslim from Malaysia and I know it isnt about religions - its about a piece of land only!

Hi Hala,

I live in UAE and I have heard both sides for a very long time. You must understand both sides before making judgments and assumptions and especially before speaking. I know this and I am only 12 years old. What people don't relize is that when you only hear just how good one side is, they base their judgments only on that and the other side is left out. This isn't fair and what Carter is trying to do is better than the President of Israel 10000x's more! You can just see who is more willing to speak truth cuz usually those who hurt others are usually not very good people. I am speaking the truth and my mother and family taught me to speak with fairness and I like Carter for being fair. I hope he succeeds in telling everybody the truth of everything.


Su Su from UAE

Olmert snubs former president Carter because he didn't come to Israel with $3. billion in arms aid for the "peaceful" state of Israel. The Israelis and the US administration call Hamas terrorists. Yet when the Israelis take Palestinian land and build illegal settlements on it, that is called natural expansion. I call it TERRORISM! The Olmert government (and future Isreali governments) "will never cease fire until every Palestinian has been murdered or has (been) moved".

American Muslim: How is the land illegally occupied and if it is, what does that have to do with the 21st century? Wake up; Palestine is nevermore. Carter is juar 'spitting' on a bon fire. Israel has two choices presented on the table...1. Death 2. Move. I really doubt those Jews are going to move... Do you?

Just by curiosity, where state do you live in?

Proud to serve

I read Carters book and it is amazing the names he was called for writing the truth. I applaude him for standing up to the biggest terrorist of all: ISRAEL

jimmy carter, forget the title president, is a traitor to all who believe in peaceful and humane society to deal with a terrorist organization. shame on him, he does not have better things to do domestically, like help promote christian values by which our nation was founded on, to our own people out of reach at home. we have more domestic problems and him seeking fame and playing democratic vs republican politics during election year. those murder happy killers do not deserve attention nor recognition. god bless israel.

hamas is a terrorist organization and carter should have use his time and efforts helping people in need back home than sticking is nose in foreign policy. he fail badly in the iran hostage crisis when he was president and now is playing democrat vs republican politics in an election year. what a shame. he is a traitor to those americans who lost their lives fighting those islamic fanatics.

Jimmy Carter is the most admirable US citizen. He is a religious person, and yet not a bigot. That cannot be said of most American leaders and many of their supporters, especially the religious right who do not hesitate to drain and bleed America to achieve their goal of saving Israel from the barbarian moslems. They are the real cause of America's problems in the Middle East, and in many parts of the world. If we had tempered our support for Israel, we would not be the pariah nation that we are today, and islamist extremists would have little sympathy, even from their own kind. But as long as US politics is motivated by the crusade mentality of previous and current Christians extremists, we will suffer more pains, politically, economically and culturally. Irak is another direct product of that short sighted attitude.
My heart goes to the man who has done more to try to save peace in the Middle East than any of his detractors. He ought to be commended for his courage and determination. Thanks Jimmy. bob schoos

Carter has done something many in the US refuse to do: he is trying to look at this less like a Jewish/Muslim conflict and more for what it is, 2 groups of people in conflict. Under the the same conditions if it were whites versus black, attitudes in the US would be different. Much of the world (Europe and here in Australia) see it the way Carter does.

Personally, I am of the conviction that Hamas and Hezbollah have eveyr right to exist and are not more terrorist organisations than the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). Both sides kill civilians in the name of their cause and justify it as such.

People should read Ben Cramer's book How Israel Lost and some Norman Finklestein as well as Anthony Lowenstein's book here in Australia My Israel Question. They bring some profound insight and perspective to a situation most Americans cannot think rationally about.

Expat Yankee

Let's face it, by the people, of the people, for the people doesn't exist anymore and hasn't for a very very very long time.

Wherever America is, you will find suicide bombings, Al Qaida (wonder if they aren't makin that up on their own as another scheme of theirs...we all know Al Qaida didn't have anything to do with 9/11 or Iraq but now that the US is in Iraq...wow so consequently so is Al Qaida...grrr so obvious!!)(there have been actual, factual footage of the US military PLANTING BOMBS themselves in Iraq but yet, you will only have yet again, "Cover Ups" and BLAME in order to be able to stay there and keep Israel safe and of course, THE OIL~!

The Patriot Act has ruined America and those who have implemented it, know they only implemented for their own benefits and not for the people or the nation. SO OBVIOUS...just wish people would wake up and impeach our government not just the Prez!

American Muslimah

Carter deserves our respect not what Israel is dishing out...who says what they say is the truth when there is no chance on hearing the other side!!! oh yeah, forgot, they want justice and peace! sheesh, such hogwash!


grrr



American Muslimah

Carter is the only one who seems to understand the problem. He correctly characterized it as apartheid. The South African solution should apply here as well.

I'm sorry to disillusion Su Su but I don't believe he understands both sides. Anyone who does would see the situation differently than he does.Carter himself doesn't understand. In the UAE how many Israelis or Jews have you met? What happened to the Jews who lived in eastern Arabia?

I think any approach that high lights the desperation of the situation, in the rgion is welcome.I dont think his visit going to do anything, what have the other visits by others done....NOTHING. Everyone knows what needs to be done yet no one does anything about it. You hear 2 Palestinians being killed on one channel switch to another channel and youll hear how 2 Isaelies were also killed. Does the world Really care.........? Iam not going to answe that, the answer is obvious, look where we are 60 years later.

One thing can be said for sure - Carter is sincerely trying to make peace there, and that cannot be said of the "Bush & Rice Pre-Election Middle East Photo Op Circus". He also has the moral authority that comes from having stood up to the country that killed 982 Palestinian children over the past six years, partly with US tax dollars (sorry, correction, Israel now accepts US aid only in euros - seriously).

This is always such a one-sided issue. We always here on CNN about the few Israelis who get get killed. We seldom here about the thousands of Palestinian civilians who are killed often in directed attacks against them. The civilian kill ratio between the two sides is 1000:1 in favour of Israel.

How come Hamas is a terrorist organization and the Israeli government isn't? Oh right, they're just responding to attacks by Hamas. Violence of course is never justified but what can you expect when you isolate a nation like Palestine, restrict travel, economic development, and starve them? Most of the world considers this genocide except Israel and the U.S. who vetoes any resolution (over 100 now) to help the Palestinians.

It seems as well that you can't criticize the Israeli policies without being branded as anti-semitic. There are countless Israelis who are trying to change their foreign policy as well but this side is never heard. Being Jewish I understand genocide and recognize that what the Israeli government is doing is horribly wrong. The news is so one-sided that people don't understand what is really going on there. I suggest to all of you, do some research, read some books and be prepared to re-think what you know.

Yigal

Good going Jimmy Carter.
I'm feed up with the one eyed way the Wetern world looks at the Middle East problem.
Hamas = Terrorists, bad, no talk, Indians.
Israel = God, the cavalery.
When you ant peace, you have to talk to your enemy! huh? who said so? well otherwise you're not looking for peace.
And just a reminder, Carter brokered the peace dal between Israel and Egypt, so he should know something about getting enemies to talk and negotiate.
And at that time Egyptians were the Bad Guys, the Indians, the enemy...
On another note: Hamas did not even exist a few years ago, it was financed by Israel (surprise surprise) to reduce the influence of Arafat's Fatah and get the palestianinas occupied fighting internally, but it went out of hand. Like the US financed the Moujahideen to fight Russia... talk about Mickey playing sorcerer.
Hey world wake up! bad guys = those who DO NOT ABIDE BY INTERNATIONAL LAW, for example: Saddam did not execute a couple of UN resolution, hence he is a bad guy. yeah, a couple of resolutions. Israel on the other hand has more that 60 UN resolutiions waiting to be implemented. When are we attacking them ???

How incredibly naive for Carter to think his visit will do any good. Has he never heard the old saying, "If the terrorists put down their weapons there will no longer be any bloodshed; if Israel puts down its weapons there will no longer be any Israel."

Thousands of Palestinians live and work in Israel, and are treated fairly there, with access to schools and hospitals. It is the rest of the Middle East (Egypt, Syria, et al) who not only ignore Palestinian refugees, they use them as pawns in their goal to destroy Israel. If each of the Middle East nations would take in a fair percentage of the refugees, there wouldn't be a problem.

Colony14 Author, Peruibe, Brasil

I am very glad to see what President Carter is doing. He is trying to understand what the Palestinians are dealing with and hearing all sides. I have been to Israel/Palestine and it is not pretty what Palestinians have to deal with everyday. How do you not expect them to fight and defend the little land that they now have after everything has been taken away. Some Jews in Israel have not respected the many resolutions that the United Nations have passed and we should not be funding them anymore. Our Country has given them to much money and for what. To be an aggressor.

To Proud to serve...
Sad to see you are brain washed. You should learn more about what is going on between Israel and Palestine. I am sure you have not gone there. Oh and Palestine does exist, the little that is left. We all know many Jewish settlement are being built on Palestinian land illegally. Just to drive out the Palestinians.

To Colony14 Author, Peruibe, Brasil

Your comment about how many Palestinians work in Israel, actually used to be true but not anymore. I know Palestininas that lost there job recenlty due to what has happened in the past years. They are victims that are trying to survive. They are not at fault. Plus Palestinians have little access to other Palestinians towns just to by essentials like FOOD and MEDICINE!!! They can not cross into any other country b/c borders are closed. Do your research!!

Arab leaders need to do something for the Palestinians and American should stop paying Israel.

Looked through the comments. Surreal picture. American is Muslimah. Carter is right. Black is white. Day is night. Am I having a nightmare?

I strongly support Carter. To reach peace, you have to be the real leader to listen to everybody and figure out the common grounds. It is a coward act not to engage your enemy. What would Jesus do in this case ?

Carter seems to be the only person with the intelligence to
understand that change happens when we are willing to meet with and
listen with respect to our so called "opponents", who, in the end,
want the same thing we all want - PEACE in their hearts. Bush
obviously has no interest in this job, and Condolezza Rice's
statement that she "doesn't understand Carter" says it all... she
doesn't understand the mediation/peace process and it's potential.

I knew the choice I made to vote for Jimmy Carter in the 70's, when I
first obtained the right to vote, was the right choice... and still
is the right choice. And, I now see why I haven't voted for a
president since then. Jimmy Carter is STILL our TRUE LEADER. He's
the one on the leading edge of finding PEACE in the world. He's
still serving us all in the way we most need in 2008. Thank goodness
we have an American whom we can respect, and know truly has our best
interests at heart. Thank you Jimmy Carter for serving me so well.

Pamela Olson
Colorado Springs, Colorado
and
New Plymouth, New Zealand

I am an American and I have met many Jews and Christians and over here UAE is filled with them. Jews own land here, Christians own land and homes and businesses as well as Jews. So you can't say UAE is unfair either.

As for Carter, he seems to be the only one that is fair minded in wanting to TRY!!!! I have seen what the Jews have done to the Palestinians which the US does not show and will never show and tell(remember that at school well grown ups forget that part). I have seen what the Palestinians have done to Israelis and NOTHING IS COMPARED to what Israel has done to them. It is YOU who do not understand what is going on.

I feel sorry for any human being who is being controlled, dictated to and who is under occupation and can't be given electricity, food, water and the necessities to live on. DO YOU?????????????????????

and I agree with the Thank You person, when is Israel gonna be punished for disobeying the UN Resolutions? They will never because they will never be punished cuz they think they rule the world and everyone is a "Goyum". (Yeah, I have read my mom's book on Freemasonry).

and many Christians and Jews are Barbarians as well for that person who said that Muslims are barbarians. I live with them and they are not doing the killing it is those who are occupying and then they blame it on others to stay where they are. I watch the news and I listen to my parents and how they are so right in what they say because they are fair. They taught me to be fair. The world IS UNFAIR TO MUSLIMS and this is the plan of the Freemasons.


you guys really need to read about the Freemasons and the Elders of Zion or I think that is what it is called. You might learn something


susu from UAE (somehow my other password didn't work so my mom made me another account. anyone know why?)

come on you bleeding heart liberals, get real.

Israel needs to provide work for Palestinians.Why? so they can stab and kill their employers as happened dozens of times? Does the US open its borders to poor Mexicans who want to work in California?
Palestine? There never was a state called Palestine. When the UN decided on a Jewish and a Palestinaian state in the former British colony, the Jews accepted. The Arabs sent five armies to destroy the jewish state at inception. Now you bleeding heart liberals want Israel to appologize for refusing to be obliterated. Fat chance!!

And Israel still refuses to be destroyed, be it by Hamas, Hizbullah or the madman from Teheran. And no false numbers you bring up of Palestinians supposedly kille by Israel will change this fact.

Eat your hearts out, bleeding hearts.Where were you when Egypt occupied Gaza with a brutal iron fist? Where were you when Jordan occupied the West Bank. Do you remember black September when Jordan massacred thousands of Palestinians? Did you ask for a Palestinian state then?

Of course not.

see what I mean?

We brazilians owe a lot to Mr.and Mrs.Carter.When the than first lady Rosalyn Carter visisted Brazil and talked on press against tortute practiced by the military, the opressive regime run by the military started to fall a part.Mr.Carter is a very fine politician and I wish we would have more made out of the same fiber.

I can't believe this guy is even thinking of talking to a terrorist organization. Maybe he forgot that its ideology is the destruction of Israel. What a shame!

Carter may have good intentions, but will make no difference. Until Palestinians and Arabs in general are stronger and have more clout where they can negotiate from a position of strength, Palestinians will never achieve meaningful independence. Al we can hope for that one day some sort of balance is developed where both Israelis and Arabs see that there is no alternative but live in peace with dignity to all

Am I the only one who sees the irony in this picture? Israelis showing Palestinian rockets? The arrogance has reached unprecedented levels. Do they not know that the Palestinians and the Lebanese can show millions and millions of unexploded rockets and (forbidden)US-made cluster bombs? How arrogant of them to do so! But hey, it takes no genius to notice that both Israel and the US are losing prominence in the world. I guess this is history's way of maintaining balance in the world and unrooting injustice!

Antisemitism any time in the history of mankind has brought about disasters and not peace, destruction and not hope. Carter's support of extreme arabs/muslims' war desires and jewish hatered is just another form of this.
Carter himself contributes to more war more death more hatered and is a huge benefit and help to extreme muslims and those who hate peace.

Carter …..travel to Lebanon to meet hisballa who responsible for the murder of 240 American marines and hug nasralla

'For every Israeli killed,' says Carter, 'between 30 to 40 Palestinians are killed because of the extreme military capability of Israel'

What Carter is saying is honest, logical, and done in an attempt to get some real dialogue going.
This is why the Israeli government can't stand him.

And remember; in the last Palestinian election, universally judged to be free and fair, Hamas won that election.

the Palestinian people where absolutely disgusted with Fatah, because of the massive corruption of its political machine.

I was in Jerusulem twice last year... Be a man; American Muslim, come here and try this vest on.

I like the fact Jimmy is try to get somewhere in a nowhere process. It appears pointless like when Muhammad Ali went over for peace.

Proud to Serve

Maybe to be effective it needs to be a tag team...? Yep, I think we would have something there.

a very welcome initiative! Not talking to the people you dont like, doesnt take you anywhere.

PERFECT EXAMPLE:North Korea. After years of opposing any contacts, Ambassador Hill finally broke the impass and started successful negotiations.

Peace in the Middle East or any where in the World cannot be achieved if People cannot sit together and talk.British Government had to to talk to IRA in Northern Island inorder to achieve peace.Americans are now talking to Sunnis in Iraq.Pakistan new Government is ready to talk to Taliban for the sake of peace.Arabs are now ready to talk to ISrael.Carter can achieve Peace between Palestinians and Israel if given a chance.He is the one who started Historic Peace in the Middle East.Let him continue his Peace Mission as all others have failed.
It is high time we have to get new Ideas and forget our old Theories.Mr.Carter go a head and GOD Blesss you.

Carter is a true American. He understands the history of the conflict. BTW, for those unfamiliar with the conflict, please read a book by Jewish professor Michael Neumann - "The Case Against Israel". Fantastic book by a fantastic Jew.

Well... a small comment about the picture.. Israelies showing Jimmy Carter wreckage of home made rockets.... Just imagine if Palistinians have to show the wreckage of all kind of bombs, artillery shells, HellFire missiles...and the list goes on... then they would have to take Carter to may be the largest junk yard ever built.... considering the amnout of ammo fired on palestinian territory :)