Carter Holds Second Meeting With Hamas-Good For him

One of those questions people always like to ask you is, "If you could have dinner with anyone in the world who would it be?" One of the people on my own top five list would actually be Jimmy Carter...he's lived life, been a president, and knows the value and joy of that comes from making something with your hands, of having your fingers dirty and in the soil. This week he has taken a lot of grief for meeting with members of Hamas, and I have to ask why? He has no authority, is not representing the government of Israel or the United States, and what if he actually does the impossible, and makes some headway, is capable of getting Hamas to put something of value on the table?

How can we ever find peace if someone is not willing to sit down and speak with the enemy? What if Hamas actually has a few legitimate issues, such as the fact that much of the land that is now Israel was wrongfully taken from private land owners that just happen to be Palestinians? Should those wrongs not be addressed? What if what Hamas actually once to recognize Israel, end the undeclared war is reasonable? Does it make more sense to simply refuse to meet with a government (of a non-nation) that was put into power in FREE DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS? George Bush cannot have it both ways, cannot encourage people to hold free elections, then when the results are not what HE WANTED, refuse to recognize the voice of the people.

Carter needs to be given credit for what he is trying to do-opening dialog between two warring factions in the hopes of finding some common ground on which both sides could begin serious negotiations that might lead to a lasting peace and a permanent Palestine State.

Hamas: Carter holds 2nd meeting with chief in Syria

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer Sat Apr 19, 6:43 PM ET

DAMASCUS, Syria - Defying U.S. and Israeli warnings, former President Carter met again on Saturday with the exiled leader of the militant Hamas group and his deputy.

The two Palestinians are considered terrorists by the U.S. government and Israel accuses them of masterminding attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians. Both governments have sharply criticized Carter's overtures to the militant group.

Carter met Mashaal and his deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouk, for about an hour Saturday morning, after more than four hours of talks the night before.

Carter, on what he has called a personal peace mission, is the most prominent American to hold talks with Mashaal, whose group claimed new legitimacy from the meetings with the Nobel laureate.

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