Monday, February 20, 2006

Jimmy Carter and the Eternal Victimhood of the Palestinians

Jimmy Carter says not to "punish" the Palestinians:

During this time of fluidity in the formation of the new government, it is important that Israel and the United States play positive roles. Any tacit or formal collusion between the two powers to disrupt the process by punishing the Palestinian people could be counterproductive and have devastating consequences.


It is interesting that he sees allowing the Palestinians to deal with the consequences of their behavior as some sort of "punishment" don't you think? He blithly discusses the "devastating consequences" of Israel or American actions, but I have yet to see him grapple with the "devastating consequences" of Hamas' charter. Or of suicide bombers. Or of the intent, stated repeatedly by the leaders of the Palestinians and approved of by the Palestinian people in the recent election, to destroy Israel.

Someone once said that Jimmy Carter was actually the first female president of the U.S. (I think it was Gagdad Bob at One Cosmos); and I have to say that I completely agree. He reminds me a lot of the pathetic mother in the movie Mean Girls who wants to be loved and accepted by her daughter's clique; so much so, that she is eager to enable and support the antisocial acting-out behavior of her daughter, as well as endure her contempt.

Carter is a wannabee despot herself himself, who admires and seeks the approval of practically every dictator in the world (it is possible that using the word "practically" is being overly cautious). I'm sure he lusts in his heart for their kind of brutish manliness but he simply comes across as a weak, insecure person who is deserving of complete contempt.

Of course, the Palestinians are not simply mean adolescent girls who will eventually grow up; nor is Carter merely an ineffective and irresponsible mother who probably missed the chance to ever fully mature. The former is an unrepentant terrorist organization that remains devoted to its stated goals of destroying Israel and the Jews; and the latter is a former US president and first-class enabler of tyranny.

Until the Palestinians have to deal with the consequences of their behavior, they will not mature as a people. Sending them to their room own country and giving them a chance to ponder some reality was a good idea only if they now must also take responsibility for their behavior.

Carter's--and the entire left's--obsession with the eternal victimhood cult of the Palestininas has been the single biggest psychological impediment toward peace in that region. Why should the Palestinians ever change? Or mature? Or deal honestly with Israel? They have every reason to believe that the Carters of the world will always let them off the hook--and bail them out--no matter what they do or how badly they behave.

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