Carter Warns of Potential Collision Between Israel and U.S.

Carter was interviewed by the liberal Haaretz newspaper on Sunday while on a trip through the Middle East. He said Israel is looking at a “head on collision” with the United States over settlements on the West Bank.

The former president helped to broker the famous peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979 and since then has made frequent forays to the area to discuss relationships between Arabs and Jews. He said the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank remain a serious hurdle to the peace process. He reminded folks that President Barack Obama has called on Israel to stop the settlement activity on the occupied West Bank. While in Israel, Carter visited a settlement, he said “to make sure they (the settlers) understand my own attitude towards Israel, the Jewish population across the world and the Jewish settlements.” He is to visit the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip on Tuesday as part of his trip through the region. Carter was in Beirut over the last few days where he met with Lebanese officials and other key figures in the area. He declared that Hillary Clinton won’t be bending towards Israel in Middle East conflicts and reminded folks again of Obama’s statements about Israeli settlements. Controversy has dogged Carter during the last years of the Presidency of George W. Bush over Middle Eastern affairs. His book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” sparked considerable debate, both over the provocative title and the book’s contents. He said he wrote the book to provoke dialogue, but his critics say he missed the mark. While Carter continues to make pronouncements about Israel and the settlements in the Middle East, one wonders the outcome as his controversial statements created some bitter resentments at one time and whether his perceived divisive remarks might be forgotten as he earnestly tries to talk peace carrying the message of Obama, as a representative of his own philosophies if not formally charged to do so by the new President.