Carter visits Syria

Carter helped broker the peace deal between Israel and Egypt in 1979. But he’s proclaimed loudly and often that he’s not in the Middle East now as a negotiator. But bringing disparate parties to the negotiating table is one of his motives. But there are those who believe Carter’s trip will accomplish the opposite of his goals. This analyst of a Beirut newspaper says speaking with Hamas undermines rightful Palestinian institutions, especially the Palestinian Liberation Organization or PLO. Another analyst says that undermining isn’t happening in Carter’s talks. He says Carter is helping Palestinians as a whole and providing a priceless service for the US as well by showing that someone does care for peace. But the US and Israeli governments refuse to deal with Hamas and consider Hamas a terrorist organization. This analyst says the US and Israeli governments need to get over it and Hamas needs to be talked to. But the Bush administration won’t reconsider its stance any time soon.