I was hardly surprised when I read about former President Jimmy Carter’s views toward the current situation involving Israel and Lebanon in a recent German magazine interview. Carter feels Israel was completely unjustified in its actions toward both Lebanon and the Palestinians, after the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by both parties. After all, Carter insists, Israel is holding 10,000 prisoners themselves, so the abduction of a couple of soldiers doesn’t amount to much, relatively speaking. Never mind these prisoners are just that, prisoners, and not hostages.
My lack of surprise is due to the fact that Mr. Carter has long held that the act of hostage taking is a perfectly legitimate diplomatic tool, and should be met with a reasoned approach, such as allowing the hostage takers to violate the sovereignty of your country (like storming the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979), doing little more than pleading with them to return the hostages, and then mounting an embarrassment of a military rescue that results in the death of eight U.S. servicemen. Is it any wonder Carter feels Israel should just trade prisoners for the return of their soldiers, and then sit back and wait for the next kidnapping of its citizens?
Lets hope Mr. Carter returns to what he does best, which is building houses for those in need. His view of world events remains as incomprehensible as the day he stepped off the peanut farm to distinguish himself as the worst president in this country’s history.
Michael Wood
Everett
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