November 22, 2007 at 12:01:42 | Carter Says U.S. Politicians Can Show No Sympathy For Plight of Palestinians | by Sherwood Ross

Former President Jimmy Carter said in a published interview it is “almost inconceivable” for an American presidential candidate “to make the statements that I’ve made concerning the plight of the Palestinians or Israel withdrawing to its 1967 borders with modifications, or things of that kind.”Carter said his 2006 book “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid” presented “a point of view that the American media rarely have a chance to cover” as no politician will discuss it. “It would be amazing for me to hear any candidate for President even mention it---even begin to address these issues in a serious way.”Carter made his remarks in an interview published in the December 3rd issue of The Nation, a weekly magazine reflecting liberal opinion.The former president, credited with arranging the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, said he sees “a complete dearth of any sort of substantive debate” in the U.S. about resolution of the troubles involving Israel and its neighbors. Carter added, “For six years, now seven years, there hasn’t been a single day of substantive negotiations between Israel and either Syria or the Palestinians.” “I wanted to precipitate some movement on the peace process and also bring the issue to the forefront. In other countries, by the way---I’ve been to Ireland and England and other countries in Europe lately---there is a pretty intense debate. But over here, zero.”Asked by interviewer John Nichols if there is any way the issue can become part of the 2008 election year debate, Carter replied: “I don’t think it’s possible for candidates to talk about it. But it may be that some of the facts and some of the issues will sink into the consciousness of whoever is going to be in the White House beginning in 2009, and that they will see some responsibility and some way, some path toward a peace process.”
- posted by Editor @ 3:21 PM

Who Can Match Israel's Lobby?
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... The first story I saw on TV was a pro-Israel war rally taking place here in New York. Would-be presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gave the keynote address. She told the crowd of thousands, "We will stand with Israel because Israel is standing for American values as well as Israeli ones."

A day or two later, still glued to the television set, I caught one of Pat Buchanan’s several MSNBC appearances. With the blunt candor he is known for, Buchanan said, with regard to presidential hopefuls and the Israel-Hezbollah war, "Let's face it: there are more people in America who will vote for you because you are pro-Israel than those who will vote for you because you are pro-Arab." ...
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Rather than question the power and/or influence of the Israel lobby, I'd like to pose a related question: Is there any lobby that is nearly as influential as Israel’s? The recent decision by a U.S. Congressional panel to recognize the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey was a major success for the Armenian Lobby in America – though it came after many years of lobbying. ...
- posted by Editor @ 6:28 PM