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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/36917/full/36917/jimmy-carter-says-hamas-can-be-trusted/ <br /><br /> <b>Jimmy Carter says Hamas can be trusted</b> <br /> Thursday, January 29, 2009 | by yitzhak benhorin <br /><br /><p>Hamas can be trusted, former President Jimmy Carter said Jan. 26 in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show. Carter spoke with host Meredith Vieira about his perspective on the Middle East conflict and his new book, “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land.”</p> <p>According to Carter, Hamas never deviated from its commitments as per the cease-fire agreement. Carter said that during his meetings with Hamas leaders in Damascus and Gaza, he was promised that Hamas would honor agreements between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel, as long as they were supported by public referendum.</p> <p>Carter maintained that Hamas did “some bad things” and added that “I’m not here to defend Hamas.”</p> <p>But, he said, “Hamas complied very thoroughly with the cease-fire agreement” and “for five months, there were no rockets fired until Israel did attack Gaza again on Nov. 4.”</p> <p>Carter said Israel has a choice between a one-state solution — which “is disaster for Israel and all its neighbors” — and a two-state solution, “which everybody endorses publicly.”</p> <p>In his interview, Carter explained the rationale behind his new book, saying, “I am writing another book about the Middle East because the new president of the United States is facing a major opportunity — and responsibility — to lead in ending conflict between Israel and its neighbors. The time is now. Peace is possible.”</p> <p>He also attempted to explain the controversy over his previous book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” noting that the use of the word “apartheid” was provocative and that most debates about his book centered around its title, rather than its content.</p> <p>On Jan. 25, Carter met with George Mitchell, President Barack Obama’s new envoy to the Middle East. While Carter is not certain Obama should speak directly with Hamas, he believes that Mitchell should, explaining that “there won’t be peace in the Middle East without Hamas involvement.”</p> <p>But despite the obstacle of Hamas, the former president expressed optimism for peace. “I see this as a unique time for hope, not despair. The outlines of a peace agreement are clear and have broad international support,” he said on “Today.”</p> <p>“Perhaps most important, there is an overwhelming common desire for peaceful and prosperous lives among the citizens of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt,” he added.</p>

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