ocealdia

Title
Obama criticizes ex-President Carter's Hamas meeting -

Link
Obama criticizes ex-President Carter's Hamas meeting - Yahoo! News
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Excerpt

By Ellen Wulfhorst
1 hour, 16 minutes ago



PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama on Wednesday disagreed with former President Jimmy Carter's overtures toward Hamas, saying he would not talk to the Islamist group until it recognized Israel and renounced terrorism.

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Comment:

NOW he criticizes Carter, how disengenous is this? And... after he's been taken heat about it for days from McCain.

Let's see, there's a debate tonight too.

TrueBlueAmerican

I disagree with Obama but if he wants to go that route then we shouldnt talk to Israel either until they renounce state sanctioned terrorism, stop commiting terrorism, and recognize Palestine as a sovreign nation. Theres no room for double standards anymore.

TrueBlueAmerican

Jimmy Carter brokered the peace deal between Israel and Egypt. He has earned the right to simply tell his critics to fuck off with regards to his dealings with warring Jews and Arabs.

aloysious

Ron Paul.

ocealdia

I agree, however, Obama has always been friendly with the Palestine community and was a frequent guest at Dr. Edward Said's speeches who was an outspoken advocate of Palestinian rights.


From left to right, Michelle Obama, then Illinois state senator Barack Obama, Columbia University Professor Edward Said and Mariam Said at a May 1998 Arab community event in Chicago at which Edward Said gave the keynote speech

Article by Ali Abunimah
"The last time I spoke to Obama was in the winter of 2004 at a gathering in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. He was in the midst of a primary campaign to secure the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate seat he now occupies. But at that time polls showed him trailing.

As he came in from the cold and took off his coat, I went up to greet him. He responded warmly, and volunteered, "Hey, I'm sorry I haven't said more about Palestine right now, but we are in a tough primary race. I'm hoping when things calm down I can be more up front." He referred to my activism, including columns I was contributing to the The Chicago Tribune critical of Israeli and US policy, "Keep up the good work!"

But Obama's gradual shift into the AIPAC camp had begun as early as 2002 as he planned his move from small time Illinois politics to the national scene. In 2003, Forward reported on how he had "been courting the pro-Israel constituency." He co-sponsored an amendment to the Illinois Pension Code allowing the state of Illinois to lend money to the Israeli government. Among his early backers was Penny Pritzker -- now his national campaign finance chair -- scion of the liberal but staunchly Zionist family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain. (The Hyatt Regency hotel on Mount Scopus was built on land forcibly expropriated from Palestinian owners after Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967). He has also appointed several prominent pro-Israel advisors.

If disappointing, given his historically close relations to Palestinian-Americans, Obama's about-face is not surprising. He is merely doing what he thinks is necessary to get elected and he will continue doing it as long as it keeps him in power. Palestinian-Americans are in the same position as civil libertarians who watched with dismay as Obama voted to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, or immigrant rights advocates who were horrified as he voted in favor of a Republican bill to authorize the construction of a 700-mile fence on the border with Mexico."

ei: How Barack Obama learned to love Israel

Jonesy

Modern Israel. Is the Bible their only justification for currently existing?