by John M. Curtis
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Copyright April 18, 2008
All Rights Reserved.

efying the White House, former President Jimmy Carter showed statesman-like courage, ignoring conventional wisdom, visiting April 17 exiled leaders of Hamas' militant wing in Damascus, Syria. Carter's mission attempts to break the stalemate, fixated more on pointing fingers than finding solutions and common ground. Before his trip, Carter faced strong opposition from the White House and his own Party, mired in knock-down-drag-out nomination fight, urging the 83-year-old 2002 Nobel Prize winner to stay away from Mideast peacemaking. “I find it hard to understand what is to be gained by having discussions when Hamas is in fact the impediment to peace,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice April 11 before Carter embarked on his peace mission. When Palestinians went to the polls and freely elected Hamas Jan. 27, 2006, the White House should have pursued some type of dialogue.

      Carter met in Damascus April 17 with exiled leaders from Hamas' militant wing, led by Khaled Mashaal and his deputy Abu Marzouk, the alleged terrorist arrested in 1995 at New York's JFK Airport, spending two years in U.S. custody before released in 1997. Mashaal is an avowed enemy of Israel, at the top of the Mossad's most wanted list for suicide bombings and kidnapping against Israeli civilians. No matter what the State Department says about Hamas, they are the Palestinians' duly elected government. When Hamas seized Gaza and booted out Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority June 14, 2007, the U.S. government could no longer ignore the militant group. Since sweeping into office Jan. 27, 2006, the Bush administration has isolated Hamas and only dealt with Abbas and the Palestinian authority. All peacemaking has gone through Abbas, pretending Hamas doesn't exist.

      Bush's current “road map” to peace totally ignores Hamas, responsible for 1.4 million Gazans. Dealing only with Abbas short-circuits the peace process, pretending Hamas doesn't exist. White House officials complained that Carter's visit legitimizes a “terrorist” group but can't explain how to deal with Palestinians' freely elected government. Whether Hamas plans, orchestrates and performs terrorist acts doesn't reverse the results of the Palestinian elections. Hamas describes itself as a humanitarian relief organization with a militant wing responsible for the armed liberation of the Palestinian people. Unlike the late Yasser Arafat and now Abbas's Palestinian authority that recognizes 1967 U.N. Resolution 242 recognizing Israel's right to exist in exchange for returning prewar borders, Hamas remains actively at war and committed to destroying the Jewish State.

      When the last round of Mideat peacemaking collapsed in 2000 under former President Bill Clinton, Arafat began his “second” intifada or revolt. Arafat used Hamas to launch relentless suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. Israel eventually targeted Hamas' leadership, assassinating its spiritual leader, paraplegic Sheikh Ahmed Yassin March 22, 2004. Less than a month later, Israel killed his successor Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, leaving Hamas uncompromising about peace. Hamas regularly launches missiles from Gaza into Israeli territory, continuing its state of war. Carter's meeting with Meshaal sought to break the impasse, testing whether there's any flexibility to stop the violence and enter reconciliation talks with Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. Carter is right that without Hamas there can be no comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

      Carter helped broker the 1978 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, eventually costing Egyptian President Anwar Sadat his life Oct. 6, 1981to Islamic extremists. Both Sadat and Israeli President Menachem Begin won Nobel Peace Prizes in 1978. “Hamas is a terrorist organization,” said Rice, offering no option other than isolation that hasn't worked to bring about reconciliation among Palestinians. Carter has a unique position with Palestinians, having criticized Israel as “a system of apartheid” in his controversial 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” Sympathizing with Palestinians gives Carter added leverage with radicals, alienated by U.S. foreign policy. Condemning Carter for putting out feelers, testing the water and making inroads, ignores the importance of engaging in dialogue. Instead of feeling upstaged, the White House should support his efforts.

      President George W. Bush's approach to Mideast peacemaking by rejecting Hamas is entirely unrealistic. Carter got it right that Palestinians' duly elected government should be included in the peace process. There's no value to negotiating peace deals with only Abbas and half the Palestinian people, especially when the democratically elected government is branded a “terror” organization. When Hamas claimed responsibility for the Aug. 13, 2003 Jerusalem suicide bombing causing the death of four Americans, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control named Hamas a terror group. Condemning Carter's overture to Hamas misses the opportunity of opening a dialogue with half the Palestinian people. Whether or not the U.S. calls Hamas “terrorists,” doesn't erase the Jan. 27, 2006 free election that swept Hamas into office.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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