Carter Embarrasses America

Yet Again

Carter's freelance diplomacy
San Francisco Chronicle

On a private trip to the Mideast, former president Jimmy Carter put himself at the center of frozen peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis. But his pose as freelance diplomat can only confuse things.

For months, the peace process - if there is such a thing - has inched along behind closed doors. Israelis, Egyptians, Palestinians and American intermediaries have achieved little in this dim realm.

Credit Carter, at least, for lighting up the landscape. Hamas hard-liners would accept Israel's existence - a change in their long-held doctrine of destruction - if a peace plan was approved by Palestinian public or parliamentary vote, he announced. It's a tantalizingly thought that needs further explanation and examination, neither of which it got from Carter.

Though he's a globe-trotting advocate of human rights, he's hardly a neutral figure in this exceedingly complicated region. Israelis mistrust him for his recent book which compared the country's military policies to South African-style apartheid. Hamas's foes on the Palestinian side must wonder why he popped up to sweeten the image of a terrorist group behind rocket attacks into Israel and near-constant border skirmishes. The U.S. State Department, with plans of its own, wants no part of the Carter road show.

Carter is a distinguished and honorable senior statesman. His Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 - given for overseeing a Israel-Egypt treaty - should have taught him of the slow, careful and low-key work needed for even baby steps in the region. His unbidden venture this time may spark discussion about Hamas' true colors, but it isn't likely to pay off as a significant step toward a negotiated peace. He should stay home the next time he gets the urge to roam.

This article appeared on page B - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle - 23 April 2008