Carter influence on Obama?

Washington, D.C. (March 31, 2009) - The Republican Jewish =
Coalition (RJC) today called on the Obama administration to disclose the =
role of former President Jimmy Carter in advising the administration on =
critical foreign policy issues.
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RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks said, "In an in-depth =
article in the April 6, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, investigative =
reporter Seymour M. Hersh states that Carter has met with President =
Obama to discuss foreign policy, and that the administration was aware =
of Carter's trip to Syria in December 2008. Carter is calling for =
broader U.S.-Syrian relations.
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"Former President Carter has never been perceived as a friend of =
Israel," Brooks continued. "In the years since his presidency, Carter =
has been openly hostile to Israel and has shown a na=EFve grasp of the =
realities in the Middle East.=20
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"When Israel launched a limited defensive campaign against =
Hezbollah terrorist forces in southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006, =
Carter stated, 'I don't think Israel has any legal or moral =
justification for their massive bombing of the entire nation of =
Lebanon.'
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"Carter has called on the United States to recognize and give =
monetary support to the terrorist organization Hamas, which still has as =
its central goal the destruction of Israel. When Hamas won the election =
in Gaza in 2006, Carter told Larry King in an interview that 'there's a =
good chance' that Hamas would become a nonviolent government.=20
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"Two and a half years later, this past January, Carter toured the =
Israeli city of Sderot, which has been hit by thousands of Hamas =
missiles fired from Gaza. He saw first-hand the horrifying results of =
Hamas' years-long bombing of Israeli civilians. Then Carter met with =
Hamas leaders from Gaza and Damascus. According to an op-ed he wrote for =
the Washington Post, he still believes that only Israeli concessions =
would stop Hamas' rocket attacks.

"Now Carter is advocating that the Obama administration become =
actively involved in Syrian-Israeli talks. Hersh quotes the Syrian =
President as saying that such talks would be predicated on Israel giving =
up the Golan Heights, including their strategic control over Israel's =
water sources. Carter hopes - and Assad has led him to believe - that =
such talks would be a step in moving Syria away from its strategic =
alliance with Iran and toward a more positive relationship with the =
West.=20
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"The Jewish community is rightly concerned about how the Obama =
administration will relate to Israel," Brooks continued. "If the =
President is being advised to pursue warmer relations with Syria based =
on pressuring Israel to make strategic concessions, that would have a =
terrible effect on Israel's security, which has long been the top =
priority of American foreign policy in the region.
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"We call on President Obama to disclose the role that Jimmy Carter =
has in his administration as an advisor on Middle East policy. Carter =
believes that pressuring Israel will result in peace between Israel and =
those still openly dedicated to her destruction. If this is the kind of =
advice that President Obama is turning to, that is indeed of great =
concern to us, to the Jewish community, and to the vast majority of =
Americans who support our ally Israel."