Letter to Jimmy Carter Urges Action After Apology

Andrea Levin
CAMERA
24 December 09

CAMERA has sent a letter to Jimmy Carter after the former president, addressing the Jewish community in an open letter, offered an apology for anything he may have done to stigmatize Israel. After expressing wishes for peace, Carter noted that "we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel," and offered an "Al Het" — a plea for forgiveness which is part of the Jewish prayer on Yom Kippur — "for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so." (See more from JTA here and here.)

CAMERA's letter, which is published in its entirety below, urges the Carter join his words with concrete actions, specifically, the correction of false and exaggerated charges he made in a November Op-Ed in the International Herald Tribune.

The Dec. 23 letter follows:

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Some people might have to believe Jimmy Carter, but you don't

Shmuel Rosner
Rosner's Domain
24 December 09

A couple of quick notes on Carter's apology to Jews (on which I also wrote a more lengthy Hebrew piece for this coming weekend):

1. Jewish organizations have to congratulate him and pretend to believe him. Jewish writers don't.

2. Jewish politicians and Israeli politicians have to act as if he means what he says. Jews with no political aspirations don't.

3. For him to deny that it's all about the grandson's race - namely, to deny the obvious reason for his mea-culpa - is just Carter being Carter.

4. And don't start with the maybe-he's-sincere unless you can reasonably explain why now, what happened so suddenly, so out of the blue, that had precipitated this apology. Carter might be annoying, but he isn't stupid, and is often cynically calculated. Think about possible motives. If you can't find one, it might be a sign that Carter is playing the most banal of political games.

4. Just a couple days ago, Carter wrote an article for the British Guardian. The situation in Gaza is intolerable, he explains, "Without ascribing blame to any of the disputing parties".

5. My guess: grandson or no grandson, it will not take long before Carter goes back to his old habits and says something soooo outrageous that no apology will be able to fix.

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Jimmy Carter: Unforgiven

Ethel C. Fenig
The American Thinker
22 December 09

Is former president Jimmy Carter (D) bi polar or a schizophrenic with multiple personalities?

It seems so. Around the same time that the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) published
a letter (allegedly) from Carter apologizing for any actions or words of his stigmatizing Israel and asking for forgiveness

In a letter released exclusively to JTA, the former U.S. president sent a seasonal message wishing for peace between Israel and its neighbors, and concluded: "We must recognize Israel's achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel. As I would have noted at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so."

the British Guardian published an op-ed by the very same Jimmy Carter, "Gaza Must Be Rebuilt Now,"stigmatizing Israel and blaming the country for causing suffering in Gaza. And rejecting peace (implied in his "apology" when he stated he would "help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations" but not demanding anything of Arabs/Muslims).

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How Carter Can Get Forgiveness

TS

CAMERA/Snapshots
22 December 09

Ha'aretz reports that Former President Jimmy Carter has asked American Jews for forgiveness for "stigmatizing Israel":

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has apologized to the American Jewish community for 'stigmatizing Israel' and asked for forgiveness for his actions, the JTA reported on Monday.

"We must recognize Israel's achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel," Carter wrote in a letter to the JTA.

"As I would have noted at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so," Carter wrote, referring to the prayer said on Yom Kippur in which Jews ask God for forgiveness for any sins.

According to the Jewish concept of repentance, words are not enough. A change ...

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