Canceling his trip to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, 90-year-old former one-term Democratic President Jimmy Carter urged his 80-year-old friend Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to call for new elections.  Time claims Carter’s memory, forgetting that the Carter Center monitored free elections in Gaza Jan. 27, 2006, giving the terrorist group Hamas a decisive victory.  Whether in Gaza or Abbas-controlled West Bank, the Palestinian voters back Hamas more than ever, promising the same outcome as 2006.  Despite backing the 2006 election, former President George W. Bush broke off relations with Gaza and the West Bank, once Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in a military coup June 14, 2007.  After Abbas refused to cede control to Hamas after the election, Hamas’s Gaza Leader Ismail Haniyeh seized the territory, leading to today’s stalemate in the peace process.

             Carter’s suggestion of more election promises to give Hamas more legitimacy, booting out what’s left of moderate elements within the Palestinian’s political structure.  “We hope that sometime we’ll see elections over the Palestinian area and east Jerusalem and Gaza and also the West Bank,” said Carter, a member of the independent Elders Group of global leaders.  Canceling his trip to Gaza for “security” reasons, Carter know urges free elections to throw even more gasoline on an already volatile situation.  Abbas hangs by a thread, with Palestinians ready to vote in the radical group Hamas into power in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.  Carter forgets what happened when free elections in 2006 echoed the will of Gazans, handing Hamas a decisive victory.  With Abbas joining Hamas April 23, 2014, it made peace with Israel impossible, expecting Israel to negotiate with its mortal enemy.

             President Barack Obama has worked feverishly with Secretary of State John Kerry to try to bring about peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  With Abbas’s Palestine Liberation Organization joining Hamas, it made peace impossible.  Hamas’s leader in exile, now living in Turkey, 58-year-old Khaled Meshaal makes no bones over his goal of destroying Israel.  All the talk by Abbas of making peace isn’t backed by Hamas that considers Israel its archenemy.  Whether admitted to or not by Carter, Hamas has one single-minded goal of destroying Israel.  Carter calls for Hamas and the PLO to reach “full implementation of the agreement reached between Hamas and Fatah,” handing political control of Gaza to the PLO.  Since joining forces last year, there’s been no agreement between Hamas and the PLO on anything, certainly not handing political and military control Gaza to Abbas.

             Bush’s plan to democratize the Middle East backfired after toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein April 10, 2003, unleashing radical Islam across the region.  Before toppling Saddam, there was virtually no terrorism in Iraq, now the victim of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, bandying together former Saddam generals to seize some 30% of Iraq and Syria   Carter’s plan to call for new elections would drive Abbas from power, handing Hamas total control of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.  Hamas’s opposition to Abbas’s policies run deep, joined only by one thing:  The destruction of Israel.  Carter’s plan to hold new elections would be the fastest way to promote all-out war inside the Palestinian territories.  After fighting a destructive six-week war with Israel last year, Hamas finds itself unable to find the capital needed to rebuild a decimated Gaza Strip.

             Visiting Abbas in Ramallah, Carter tried to highlight the devastation in Gaza from the six-week war with Israel.  “The situation in Gaza is intolerable.  Eight months after a devastating war, no one destroyed house has been rebuilt and people cannot live with the respect and dignity they deserve,” said Carter.  After hosting a donors conference in Gaza Oct. 6, 2014 pledging $5.4 billion, the Hamas government hasn’t received a fraction of the promised cash.  Donors fear that with Hamas determined to destroy Israel, money will only be used to build more rockets and tunnels for the next war.  Carter puts his sympathies with Abbas, without admitting that Hamas has no intent of making peace with Israel.  If Gaza remains in shambles, Hamas needs to take the blame for doing little or nothing.  Like Palestinian leaders, Carter likes to blame Israeli Netanyahu for throwing roadblocks to peace.

             Carter’s plan to push Abbas into holding more elections will hand what’s left of Palestinian authority over to Hamas.  As long as Hamas remains committed to destroying Israel, you can’t blame Netanyahu for not running to the peace table.  Carter harks back to the late 70s when he convinced the late Israeli President Menachem Begin to give back the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for a peace deal.  Today’s Sinai, while housing some popular resorts built up by Israel, is now a sanctuary for terrorist groups plotting the destruction of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s Egypt.  Carter’s plan for free elections would hand all of Palestine to Hamas, assuring endless war and misery to the Palestinian people.  Gulf State’s wealthy donors don’t want to hand Hamas more cash to finance its next war with Israel.  There can be no two-state solution with a political entity committed to destroying Israel.

`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.