Jimmy "If I Had a Hammer" Carter pens an article for the Washington Post this morning in which he continues to placate Palestinians without getting anything in return for the investment.Let's roll the tape, so to speak:
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.At some point, Jimmy Carter is going to have to realize the First Rule of International Relations. Nations act in their own best interests first. If Israel and the United States decideds that it is in their best interests to "punish" the Palestinians as a consequence of their electing terrorists to run their government, then that is exactly what those nations are going to do.
Unfortunately, these steps are already underway and are well known throughout the Palestinian territories and the world. Israel moved yesterday to withhold funds (about $50 million per month) that the Palestinians earn from customs and tax revenue. Perhaps a greater aggravation by the Israelis is their decision to hinder movement of elected Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council members through any of more than a hundred Israeli checkpoints around and throughout the Palestinian territories. This will present significant obstacles to a government's functioning effectively. Abbas informed me after the election that the Palestinian Authority was $900 million in debt and that he would be unable to meet payrolls during February. Knowing that Hamas would inherit a bankrupt government, U.S. officials have announced that all funding for the new government will be withheld, including what is needed to pay salaries for schoolteachers, nurses, social workers, police and maintenance personnel. So far they have not agreed to bypass the Hamas-led government and let humanitarian funds be channeled to Palestinians through United Nations agencies responsible for refugees, health and other human services.
Carter still doesn't seem to understand that elections have consequences. Hamas has to prove themselves to the world that they are serious about peace in the region; we don't "owe" them anything. Hamas has no problem finding money to carry out attacks against Israel, so if they need to pay the nurses and teachers, I'm pretty sure they can put together a few bucks for the cause. That they choose not to says more about them than it does us.
