Jimmy Carter: A clear and present danger

Everything surrounding Carter is getting intense... Now we have someone blaming him for the recent terrorist attack in Eilat.

Blame Jimmy Carter for Murder in Eilat
by Jack Engelhard

Words have consequences. At about the same time that Jimmy Carter was talking up his book at Brandeis University, a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber stepped into a bakery shop in Eilat and murdered three Israelis. Coincidence? No. This was the first such attack in nearly a year.

Jimmy Carter has some explaining to do. He is a smooth talker, but will forever be tainted by the blood of Eilat and by whatever bloodshed is to follow.

The mother of this terrorist who slipped in from Gaza - the Gaza that is supposed to live "side by side with Israel in peace and security" - declared that she was "very, very proud" of her son. This mother said she'd be happy to provide even more sons for martyrdom fodder. Perhaps she and other mothers are waiting for the next signal from Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter's book is pretty much a manual on How To Commit Murder Without Guilt. Subtitle: The Jews Deserve It.

When a former president of the United States speaks, the world listens. Terrorists listen. They heard this man say that it is proper to murder Israelis until Israel "abides by international law." Within the same "international law," it is also written Thou Shalt Not Commit Bloodshed. Perhaps Jimmy Carter missed that in Sunday school.

(To be precise: Jimmy Carter called upon Palestinians to cease terror attacks if Israel agrees to abide by international law.)

If you say Carter's words bear no connection to this terrorist's deeds, I present as my proof the blood of Haim El-Maliach, Michael Ben-Sa'adon and Yisrael Samolia, all of whom died in Eilat because Jimmy Carter spoke and the world listened. Terrorists are especially attentive when given license to kill....

You should read it all. It turns into quite a rant at the end:

Jimmy Carter is a clear and present danger to the Jewish people in Israel and to Jewish people everywhere. He sells his Jew-hatred to anyone who will listen - and millions are listening.

Innocents here at home - formerly patrons of Israel - have turned against Israel. They have been seduced by this slick operator. I get letters from people who have converted to his anti-Semitism, such as, "You should listen to Jimmy Carter. Perhaps you might learn something." After all, he is a former president of the United States, and today, "he builds homes."

Maybe he fools you. He doesn't fool me. Jimmy Carter is a terrorist and the blood of Eilat is his legacy.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Paul Findley in today's Chicago Tribune. For Findley, Carter is a friend and a "patriot" who "has dared to call a spade a spade."

.... All citizens have the right to band together and push for policies they believe are right. But AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobby groups do not plead the case for Israel on the stage of public opinion. Instead, they often resort to smear campaigns and intimidation to clear the floor so that only their side is heard.

Carter has dared to call a spade a spade.... Pro-Israel lobby groups have not debated the credence of these claims. Instead, they lob accusations and insults, even insinuating that Carter is anti-Semitic. They do not prove him wrong with facts. They seek to discredit him with innuendo.

I do not believe these groups set out to discredit opponents and destroy free speech. I believe they had the singular purpose of ensuring U.S. government support for Israel. But after decades of Israeli actions running counter to American policies and values, it becomes difficult to do one without the other....

If these issues were debated openly, U.S. policymakers would have to hold Israel accountable and demand that our financial and diplomatic support be contingent upon Israel upholding American values and policy positions.

... like it is with Egypt, I guess ...

Yet there is silence. Critical discussion of Israeli policies is non-existent in Congress. Rather than conducting vigorous committee hearings, as happens with other issues, members of Congress compete to outdo one another in statements of support for Israel. And American tax dollars keep flowing uninterrupted to Israel.

Our unconditional support of Israel damages our credibility on the world stage. It deprives us of potential allies in the Arab and Muslim worlds. It allows Israel to remain intransigent and condemns Palestinian and Israeli children to decades more of conflict.