Like the proverbial giant empire hobbled by small tribes, the U.S. has been unable to use its power to resolve the long-festering Israeli-Palestinian conflict. American diplomacy, burdened by ideology, ineptitude and frequent deference to Israeli wishes, has been behind the curve for decades.
Former president Jimmy Carter is calling Israel’s two-year-old blockade of Gaza an “atrocity” and saying that people there are being treated like animals. “Tragically, the international community largely ignores the cries for help, while the citizens of Gaza are being treated more like animals than human beings,” said Carter in a June 16 speech.
Carter’s remarks came during visits to Syria, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza following monitoring of Lebanese elections June 7 by observers from the Atlanta-based Carter Center.