Sandra Miner, Las Vegas

Sat, Apr 26, 2008 (2:03 a.m.)

In his Friday column in the Las Vegas Sun headlined “What Carter got from Hamas: Nothing,” Tom Teepen disses a truly compassionate, conservative former president of the United States who has great knowledge from working on Israeli-Palestinian issues since the 1970s.

I was living in Jerusalem learning to read and write biblical Hebrew during the Camp David talks with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin, when President Carter negotiated peace with Egypt, something that was miraculous!

When the Palestinian democracy elected Hamas as its leader, the “do nothing for Israel/Palestine” president of the United States, George W. Bush, exclaimed, “Who knew (the Palestinians would elect Hamas)?” I for one, and it was no surprise to Jimmy Carter either.

The inbred hatred of Jews is taught to Palestinian children as soon as they can walk. The demands of Hamas are impossible for peace — they want their capital in Jerusalem. That is like saying we will have peace with al-Qaida, and they can move their headquarters training camps into Washington, D.C. (It’s impossible.)

Therefore, President Carter has done a great service for America by opening the doors to discussions with Hamas, Syria and others to touch hearts with reason, rather than bully and chase off opponents, which can lead to only more bloodshed.

President Bush has no understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. This self-proclaimed “compassionate conservative” president should continue to stay out of the mix. He has no idea what Hamas is about, and what it is capable of doing. It needs a kinder, gentler negotiation, one that people like Jimmy Carter can provide. When we are wise as serpents and harmless as doves, there is room for negotiation. Threats spewing from President Bush will be met with bloodletting, which appears to be all he understands.

While Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was in Washington this week, the TV news showed Bush saying he didn’t want Palestine to look like Swiss cheese. (What he has made of Iraq!) He doesn’t know that is what the Palestine region already looks like? What a sad case for America, land that I love.