A Partial Fisking of the 'Carter Letter'

The magalomanaical Jimmy Carter has come out with a letter justifying his recent screed blaming Israel and exonerating Palestinians everywhere (Check out the following analysis of Carter's misrepresentation of Camp David and the Clinton Proposals. Hat Tip to both links: Martin Kramer, who has been covering this from day one). I thought I might give a try at a (partial) fisking:

There are no significant countervailing voices (emphasis added) (to pro-Israel outfits such as AIPAC)

Has Carter been living on Mars over the past few years (then again, that would explain a lot...)??? What about the constant attacks in the New York Review of Books, the "evenhandedness" of the New York Times and NPR, not to mention the bile coming out of British outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, the London Review of Books? Heck, what about the English version of Ha'Aretz? What about the "expert" analysis of MESA members such as Juan Cole and Charles Smith, which is very pro-Palestinian?

I am familiar with the extreme acts of violence that have been perpetrated against innocent civilians, and understand the fear among many Israelis that threats against their safety and even their existence as a nation still exist. I reiterated my strong condemnation of any such acts of terrorism.

WTF?? Who were these extreme acts of violence commited by - Eskimos? Aliens? Is it so hard to admit that acts of terrorism and political violence have been commited by Palestinians (and supported by many Palestinians) against Jews? Is it that hard to admit that Palestinians sin, or that they are largely responsible for their own predicament, by rejecting, time and again, partition plans - in 1937, in 1948 etc?

When asked my proposals for peace in the Middle East, I summarized by calling for Hamas members and all other Palestinians to renounce violence and adopt the same commitment made by the Arab nations in 2002: the full recognition of Israel's right to exist in peace within its legally recognized 1967 borders (to be modified by mutual agreement by land swaps). This would comply with U.N. Resolutions, the official policy of the United States, commitments made at Camp David in 1978 and in Oslo in 1993, and the premises of the International Quartet's "Roadmap for Peace."

I see...what about the demand for the 'right of return', also enshrined in UNresolutions according to Palestinian pressure groups??

In addition, I pointed out that the Palestinian people were being deprived of the necessities of life by economic restrictions imposed on them by Israel and the United States because 42% had voted for Hamas candidates in the most recent election. Teachers, nurses, policemen, firemen, and other employees are not being paid, and the U.N. has reported that food supplies in Gaza are equivalent to those among the poorest families in sub-Sahara Africa with half the families surviving on one meal a day. My other request was that American Jewish citizens help to alleviate their plight.

Why, may I ask, is this solely the fault of Israel? What about Hamas, committed to Israel's destruction and spending oodles on arms and weapons procurement? Also, what about Israelis right to life, that most basic right, which, if we removed all restrictions now without a renouncement of violence from Hamas and others, would be constantly denied by suicide bombers and the like? Why, also, is there no mention of the Qassam rockets and munitions constantly rained on Sderot and Ashkelon?

that I acknowledge the deep concern of Israelis about the threat of terrorism and other acts of violence from some Palestinians (emphasis mine)

Now we acknowledge that some Palestinians engage in violence. Hows about the fact that one such organization now runs the parliament?

Jimmy Carter declared that he won't debate Alan Dershowitz. Maybe Norman Finkelstein would be a better choice.