Late last month former U.S. President Jimmy Carter released a letter through the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) “apologizing” to American Jews for all that he has said about Israel that has offended American Jewry. When I first read about this supposed apology by Carter, I could not stop laughing because for the last 30 years he has been an almost ridiculously blatant mouthpiece for the Arab world and an apologist for Palestinian terrorist groups such as Islamic Jihad and Hamas. His apology seemed completely bogus and not genuine since it was mere rhetoric and not backed up with real actions. If Carter really wants to make amends for his hateful speeches and propaganda attacks against Israel, why doesn’t he pull from stores all copies of his recent book of lies about Israel being a supposed apartheid state? If his apology is genuine towards the American Jewish community, why doesn’t he return the billions of dollars he receives from the Saudi royal family given to his Carter Center? If he is truly sincere about apologizing to American Jews, why doesn’t he condemn Arab terrorist groups for their terror attacks and help undo his efforts in legitimizing terror groups like Hamas that want to destroy Israel? Why doesn’t he condemn the Iranian president’s calls to “wipe Israel off the map of world”?
While Abe Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League’s national director accepted Carter’s apologize, I for one do not. Instead of merely releasing a letter of apology to the American Jewish community through a news agency, if Carter is serious about renewing ties with Jews, why doesn’t he apology in person to the thousands of victims and victims’ families of Palestinian terrorism in Israel first? Carter has spent more time visiting terrorists in Hamas controlled Gaza and Yasser Arafat, a murderer of innocent men, women and children, than Israelis who have been bombarded with hand-man rockets launched from Gaza into Southern Israeli cities! If Carter is genuine about apologizing to American Jews why doesn’t he donate the billions of dollars his center has received from the Arab world to treat and care for Jewish victims of Hamas terrorism in Israel? Why doesn’t Carter apology in person to Jewish victims of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism for his visiting of leaders in terror sponsoring states like Syria and giving them legitimacy? Why doesn’t Carter condemn the endless violence and rockets launched by Hamas into Southern Israel if he is really remorseful for what he’s said about Israel? The list of things Carter could do to truly demonstrate his remorse for things he has said about the Jewish state of Israel is endless. Unfortunately he will never do any of these things because he is a disgraceful lap dog of the Arab world and only cares to satisfy their desires to attack Israel since they bankroll his center.
Clearly Carter does not give a damn about making amends with Israel, American Jewry or those in the free world who are fighting against radical Islam in the Middle East. His release of this “letter of apology” is merely a political move on behalf of his grandson who is running for a political office in a district within Georgia that has a majority of Jews. Carter is trying to throw a bone to his grandson, who for better or worse is stuck with a family name that has been synonymous with a hater of Israel. Apologizing to the Jews for anything he’s said about Israel serves Carter no other purpose than to help his grandson. No one will give him any kind of financial support for his “empty apology to the Jews”. I know nothing about his grandson nor his grandson’s stances on Middle East issues, but I do know that Carter from his shameful behavior, language and actions has not been a friend to Jews nor Israel during the last 30 years. Words are merely words— I’ll believe Carter is indeed genuine about making friends with Israel and Jews in general when I see his behavior matches his words!
On a side note, Iranian Americans of various religions don’t care for Carter either and those interested in learning more about their disgust for this shameful man can read my 2007 piece about it.
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