Former President Jimmy Carter arrived today in the Gaza Strip as Hamas leaders welcomed him with open arms, but he left the territory amidst an assassination attempt using a road-side bomb.
On his brief day-trip, Carter met with ousted Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and handed him a letter for abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit from his parents. Carter later stated that he believes Shalit remains alive, even though many analysts question the veracity of this claim due to the fact that no tangible evidence supporting this claim has left the Strip recently. Shalit’s father also questioned Carter’s claim, noting that he “didn’t hear anything new.”
Upon leaving the Strip, Carter’s entourage could have been in the path of a 200-kilo bomb reportedly placed by the Palestinian Al-Qaeda cell. Hamas reportedly defused the device after being notified by U.N. officials, although Hamas now denies the bomb existed.
Carter met with banished Hamas leader Khalid Meshal in Syria and continues to advocate the need for opening a dialogue with Hamas. The former president remains among the world’s most outspoken advocate for negotiations with the group and for a Palestinian state. However, the attempted assassination attempt, defusal of the bomb by a terror group, and subsequent denial of the event simply illustrates the deep-rooted divisions in Palestinian society. The terrorist groups themselves cannot identify allies and determine a joint strategy. The discord among these groups is only the tip-of-the-iceberg in disputes among Palestinians and should exemplify the difficulty for Israel and the international community to find a viable, relevant, and legitimate negotiation partner.
