President Jimmy Carter: "How To Fix It": Ending this war in Gaza begins with recognizing Hamas

[Peace Patriot]

49. I'll take Jimmy Carter's word for it. He knows more than anybody in the world...

...about the dynamics of the Israel/Palestine situation, and has worked harder than anybody to create a true "honest broker" policy for the U.S.

And Mary Robinson knows more than anybody HOW TO STOP A VIOLENT CIVIL WAR with hatreds that go back 400 years. At some point in the lopsided fight between the Irish and the English, the English HAD TO recognize Irish fighters as HUMAN BEINGS with a right to defend themselves and a right to a point of view on their own governance--no matter how warped and murderous their behavior had become after 400 years of lopsided hostilities.

These two people are SANE--Carter and Robinson. Other players in this situation seem insane to me. The Palestinians who are firing rockets at Israel are insane from grief, stark poverty and confinement in an outdoor prison, with a long history of seeing their peoples' lands stolen, jobs and businesses destroyed and gross violations of their human rights, including the current Israeli blockade of Gaza. The Israeli government is insane with fascism and militarism. Our government is insane for continuing to arm and fund Israel in the midst of grave war crimes, including the slaughter of 300 children and the bombing of UN hospitals and schools. Our government's insanity is the result of war profiteering. And "pro-Israel" commenters on this situation have their heads up their asses. They insanely side with Israel no matter what Israel does!

Another parallel to Israel/Palestine is the Colombian government/leftist guerrilla (FARC) lopsided civil war--a civil war that has gone on for some 70 years and was recently made more lopsided by the infusion of SEVEN BILLION U.S. taxpayer dollars in military support of Colombian fascists. They are now talking--the Colombian government and the FARC--and making progress on peace, following the removal of Bush Jr.'s mafia don buddy, Alvaro Uribe, as 'president' of Colombia. The new leader of Colombia, Manuel Santos, had to RECOGNIZE the FARC, at least as far as peace talks go, and they are discussing a POLITICAL solution, involving the FARC laying down their arms and entering the political process in Colombia. This was tried once before (prior to Uribe, who lusted for war), but rightwing death squads slaughtered thousands of demobilized FARC members, who then took up arms again. You HAVE TO recognize the opposition as HUMAN BEINGS who have REASONS for taking up arms and have THE RIGHT to participate in talks and to participate in self-government, if you want to stop a civil war--and not just continue with endless, escalating violence, with decades and centuries of accumulated hurt and hate.

This is what Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson are saying--and they know what they are talking about!

Hamas was ELECTED--and both Israel and the U.S. said, "We don't care about your election! We say you're terrorists and worthy of death, along with everyone else in this 'shooting gallery' that we have created in Gaza--children, the elderly, women--all will die because you are not human and your election means nothing!"

Carter and Robinson are absolutely correct that Hamas must be recognized, to end this horror.

Thank you, Fred Sanders, for posting this important article!