Jim Kouri
Jewish Congressman Blasts Jimmy Carter's Fraternizing with Hamas Terrorist
By Jim Kouri, CPP
http://www.michnews.com/
Apr 14, 2008

Chief Deputy Republican Whip Eric Cantor for the US House of Representatives fiercely condemned former President Jimmy Carter's plans to meet with Khaled Mashal, leader of the terrorist group Hamas, in Damascus, Syria on April 18th, 2008. Rep. Cantor, who is Jewish, released an official statement to the media on Saturday.

Khaled Mashal is a prime suspect in numerous Palestinian suicide bomb attacks. His attacks resulted in the deaths of numerous Israeli civilians, as well as men, women and children left maimed and crippled.

Mashal is on record as advocating the total annihilation of the Jewish State and the creation of a Palestinian country in its place.

"It is shocking that a former president of the United States would sit down and speak with a terrorist kingpin like Khaled Mashal.This type of meeting will only be misconstrued in the region as a sign of legitimacy for Hamas terrorism," said Cantor.

Cantor added,"As national party leaders, Obama and Clinton must denounce Carter's meetings"

In January 2007, when Carter's anti-Israel book "Palestine; Peace not Apartheid" was released, 14 board members wrote President Carter a letter of resignation from his charitable foundation. 

In their collective resignation letter they wrote:"The Palestinian side has consistently resorted to acts of terror as a national expression and elected parties endorsing the use of terror, the rejection of territorial compromise and of Israel's right to exist. Palestinian leaders have had chances since 1947 to have their own state, including during your own presidency when they snubbed your efforts."

"As Hamas rockets and mortars continue to rain down on innocent Israelis in Sderot, Jimmy Carter will lend legitimacy to a man whose bottom line is the destruction of the state of Israel," said Congressman Cantor.

"Before President Carter leaps into his attacks about Israeli 'occupation,' he should tour the neighborhoods and hospitals where over 5,000 Hamas rockets have exploded in Israel, just three years after Israel withdrew from every last inch of Gaza."

"I call on President Carter to cancel these meetings. In addition, I ask Presidential candidates Senator Barak Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton as leaders of their national party to call on President Carter to cancel his planned meeting with Mashal. Senators Clinton and Obama are leaders of their party, and have an obligation to try and stop this unacceptable free-lance foreign policy by President Carter," concluded Cantor.

While in the past,Hillary Clinton was sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, her opponent for the Democrat presidential nomination, Barack Obama, is a personal friend and supporter of the PLO and Hamas sympathizer, Professor Rashid  Khalidi of Columbia University. In other words, don't expect a comment from Clinton or Obama regarding Carter's fraternizing with terrorists.

There are many who suspect Jimmy Carter is often very cozy with enemies of the United States including Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and others. In spite of his running what was arguably the most inept administration in the 20th Century, the members of the news media hold him in high esteem.