IN his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, former US president, Jimmy Carter, is widely seen as a passionate defender of the rights of the Palestinians. In his books and newspaper articles, he is seen advocating to bring peace to one of the world's longest and most intractable disputes. He avers that the oppression melted out by Israelis to Palestinians stems from a desire on the part of Israelis to confiscate and colonize Palestinian land. In its pursuit to attain that goal, the Jewish state wasted no time in expanding the existing settlements in occupied territories or even reneging on all the accords signed between it and the Palestinians. During his presidency, Jimmy Carter brokered a peace deal between Israel and Egypt after intense and painstakingly long negotiations between the two sides. However, the geopolitical situation now is different from what it was three decades ago. Israel at that time was willing to start talks with Arab countries and normalize ties with then the largest Arab country. It was also Anwar Sadat's will to conclude a peace treaty so as to placate his opponents who were infuriated by his sudden quest for peace with the Israelis. Carter's credibility in the Arab World rose during the past years due to his pro-Arab stands regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict. In his best-selling book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, he draws a comparison between Israel's atrocious treatment of Palestinians with that of apartheid practiced then in South Africa. He is also widely cherished for his vocal opposition to the American policies in the region. He openly opposed Iraq war saying in his book “Our Endangered Values” that Bush's decision to go to war was unjustified and that “Iraq war has actually increased the terrorist threat” against America. Sadat's famous notion that 99 percent of the playing cards of the conflict in Mideast remains in the hands of Americans is still valid. But American administration, with its involvement in Iraq and the so-called war on terror, seems reluctant to engage fully in bringing peace to the region. Additionally, the current American administration is unwilling to put pressure on Israel to halt its expansionist policy in the West Bank, alleviate the sufferings of the ordinary Palestinians and to end incursions and mass killings of civilians. Israel has long been enjoying an unwavering support under all American administrations. American politicians staunchly avoid criticizing Israel's numerous offensives against the Palestinians for fear of infuriating the influential Jewish lobby in the United States. When they leave office, these leaders become less interested in keeping political balance and begin to show more moderate stands regarding the conflict. Days ago, Jimmy Carter declared his intentions to pay a rare visit to the troubled region of Middle East. The Nobel Peace Prize winner decided it was time to meet with Hamas leaders, a step widely denounced by United States and Israel because the visit would undermine the two countries' earnest efforts to isolate Hamas which controls Gaza Strip. Carter visited the West Bank, met with the Palestinian officials there and laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat's grave in the city of Ramallah, a symbolic gesture which angered both Americans and Israelis who had long considered Arafat as “irrelevant” and, therefore, an obstacle to peace. Outside the Occupied Territories, Carter was cheerfully received by Hamas leaders living in exile who found it a good signal for the movement which is still labeled as a terrorist organization by United States, Israel and the EU although the issues discussed fell within the long-term interests of Israel. Top Israeli politicians ridiculed Carter's plans to meet with Hamas leaders and decided to ignore the visit entirely by avoiding personal meetings with him. In his visit to the Israeli town of Sederot, which has been targeted by rockets fired from Hamas-controlled areas north of Gaza city, Carter was shown wreckages of Al Qhassam rockets, a display aimed at influencing Carter's plans to meet with Hamas leaders. It is not only Hamas that is so pleased with this controversial visit. Syria, a member of Bush's so-called axis-of-evil, finds it a diplomatic victory against the continued efforts by United States to isolate it. Jimmy Carter held talks with the Syrian president in which the overall results of the visit were described as “constructive.” As usual, Israel is the overall winner of Carter's tour. Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader living in exile, has announced the movement's recognition of pre-67 war borders, tacitly recognizing Israel's right to exist, a decision which has long been resisted by the movement. Also, the movement is closer to striking a deal regarding the release of the abducted Israel soldier, Gilad Shalit, who is still held by Hamas. Carter stressed hard on Hamas leadership to announce a unilateral truce and put an end to the rockets being fired from Hamas-controlled areas. However, there is little to be gained from Carter's visit. It is largely seen as a mere ceremonial tour as the 80-year-old politician is being criticized by the party he once headed. Arab Peace Initiative, endorsed by all Arab countries, is a good basis for peace. That initiative was blatantly rejected by Israel. So it should be clear for all peace-loving people, including Carter himself, that Israel is willing to gain everything for, merely, nothing. __
