Carter forced to cancel Gaza Strip visit

[HorseArcher]

Jerusalem - Former US president Jimmy Carter has been forced to cancel a scheduled visit to the Gaza Strip. He had planned to talk with leaders of Hamas, but was unable to obtain permission to enter the Palestinian-controlled territory.

Israel is furious at the former president's private peace mission, especially as Mr Carter has said that Hamas cannot be ignored. The 83-year-old Mr Carter, who is on a nine-day tour of the Middle East, did manage to meet a former Hamas minister in Ramallah on the West Bank. He will continue to try to visit the Gaza Strip, and has plans to meet the Syrian Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal.

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/...za-Strip-visit

...meanwhile in Gaza:

Reuters cameraman killed in Gaza

GAZA (Reuters) - A Reuters cameraman was killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in what appeared to have been an Israeli military strike.

Fadel Shana, a 23-year-old Palestinian, was covering violence in the enclave for the international news agency. Two bystanders were also killed in an explosion after Shana stepped from his vehicle. His soundman escaped serious injury.

Film from Shana's camera showed an Israeli tank stationed several hundred meters (yards) away firing a shell. The film then went blank, apparently at the moment Shana was hit.

Earlier, local residents had said the explosion appeared to have been caused by an air strike.

The Reuters vehicle, an unarmored sport utility vehicle bearing "TV" and "Press" markings, had just stopped and Shana got out to film, local residents said.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/wo...7a5bdf&k=43225

[Aziel]

Too bad he got killed, my condolences to his family.

[s.rwitt]

Jimmy Carter is a useless peanut farmer desperate for attention. He always has been.

I can't believe he actually laid a wreath at Arafat's grave. Ridiculous.

[RZZZA]

Has Jimmy Carter snapped and gone completely insane? He's hugging americas enemies, people who celebrated and danced during 9/11.

[Каие]

Has Jimmy Carter snapped and gone completely insane? He's hugging americas enemies, people who celebrated and danced during 9/11.

You mean the Fox propaganda of a Palestinian birthday party?

Jimmy Carter is a useless peanut farmer desperate for attention. He always has been.
I can't believe he actually laid a wreath at Arafat's grave. Ridiculous.

You mean the only guy who has successfully brokered peace in the region and the only guy talking about a fair peace, neither pro Israeli or pro Palestinian? I praise him, the only one with the balls to try to sort this mess out,everyone else is playing in politics.

Hell we negotiated with Stalin, if its all about peace why not negotiate with the enemy, that is how one achieves peace, not by brute force,becasue there are several 30 million Palestinians to replace those who die.

Lets not forget the Taleban's rise.

[s.rwitt]

Has Jimmy Carter snapped and gone completely insane? He's hugging americas enemies, people who celebrated and danced during 9/11.

Reminds me of his visits with Castro. I think he just realized that he is getting old and as of right now has the legacy of a President that let Khomeni step all over him and was really one of the LEAST important Presidents....ever.

Now he's desperate to gain the legacy of one who made an effort for "peace". Mainly by hugging murderers and honoring terrorists apparently.

[RZZZA]

He has no diplomatic legitimacy, he's not an official part of the administration. All hes doing is vacationing, basically.

am i right, or did he get an okay from our administration to do this?

[s.rwitt]

He has no diplomatic legitimacy, he's not an official part of the administration. All hes doing is vacationing, basically.

Pretty much, anything to get his name in the paper. Maybe next he will be having tea with Bin Laden and calling it a "peace meeting" or something.

There is a reason the guy was a one-term president.

am i right, or did he get an okay from our administration to do this?

I seriously doubt that. He's been doing this kind of crap for the past few years or so. All on his own as far as I know.

[Icefrisco]

Carter ceases to amaze me. Why would he want to talk peace with people who celebrate 9/11? Plus, Hamas has made no moves to become a normal governments unlike Fatah. Carter should be in the West Bank where some people actually care about the deaths of civilians.

He is not even a government official so I do not understand why wanted to go there. Plus, he picked the worst time of all to go. Either he is completely oblivious or he is trying to antagonize Jews by going over Passover. If Carter wants to preach about how bad Israel is and how good Hamas is he should choose a better time to go rather then Passover. He is probably trying to get Jews to call him an anti-Semite and then he will respond by saying how Jews accuse everyone of being an anti-Semite. Therefore, Carter looks good and Jews(not just Israelis) look bad.

Carter did 1 good thing in his presidency(Camp David). Other then that his presidency and his life have been nothing but trouble for America.

[RZZZA]

why doesnt he just go back to his peanut farm. Go build some more houses for the homeless.

[HorseArcher]

I'm not sure what he is trying to accomplish . As he said, he does not represent any official point or anything that has to do with foreign policy or government or any connection to the current administration.

Still the question remains, why he was restricted to enter Gaza.

[Big War Bird]

Jimmy Carter wants to talk to Hamas, Barack Obama wants to talk to Hamas. Both are idiots.

[RZZZA]

Jimmy Carter wants to talk to Hamas, Barack Obama wants to talk to Hamas. Both are idiots.

yeah...your facts are a bit off there, Obama actually disagrees with Carters Hamas meeting

http://www.reuters.com/article/lates.../idUSN16369480

[Big War Bird]

yeah...your facts are a bit off there, Obama actually disagrees with Carters Hamas meeting

http://www.reuters.com/article/lates.../idUSN16369480

Ok, but didn't Obama say he wanted to talk with Kim Jong Il and others? That's just about as smart. Unless he plans on reading them the riot act then there really isn't a lot to talk about.

[RZZZA]

He just said he wants to focus on diplomacy and would never rule out the possibility of talking to our enemies. He also said he wouldnt require any pre-conditions to meet with our enemies, but later he backpedaled on that a bit.

[Mythos]

Ok, but didn't Obama say he wanted to talk with Kim Jong Il and others? That's just about as smart. Unless he plans on reading them the riot act then there really isn't a lot to talk about.

Typical American talking. Everyone is guilty. We are the best. We don't talk to people, we bomb them. It's getting quite annoying. I hope your next president if a pacifist.

[Gunslinger-52]

Typical American talking. Everyone is guilty. We are the best. We don't talk to people, we bomb them. It's getting quite annoying. I hope your next president if a pacifist.

Don't forget the hellenic peoples while your at it. their greasy hair makes them OPEC's greatest competitor. But wait a tic, that would be a classic example of generalizing a whole population. Silly me

on topic Jimmy carter needs to understand that not all people love their fellow man as much as he tries to.

[s.rwitt]

Typical American talking. Everyone is guilty. We are the best. We don't talk to people, we bomb them. It's getting quite annoying. I hope your next president if a pacifist.

Hey, look who didn't get the point.

[Big War Bird]

Hey, look who didn't get the point.

No kidding.

[jankren]

Seriously, whats really bad about talking with your enemy? Almost all conflicts are ended through diplomacy. Sometimes pride has to give way for peace. But some people are just too proud.