After accusing US (the Jewish cabal) of interference with mid-east peace, it turns out that Carter’s so-called Center has been on the bankroll of the most notorius backers of terrorism in the world. Nice!
Journalist Jacob Laksin has documented the tens of millions of dollars that the Carter Center has accepted from Saudi Arabian royalty and assorted other Middle Eastern sultans, who, in return, Carter dutifully praised as peaceful and tolerant (no matter how despotic the regime). And these are only the confirmed, public donations.
Carter has also accepted half a million dollars and an award from Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, saying in 2001: “This award has special significance for me because it is named for my personal friend, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan.” This is the same Zayed, the long-time ruler of the United Arab Emirates, whose $2.5 million gift to the Harvard Divinity School was returned in 2004 due to Zayed’s rampant Jew-hatred. Zayed’s personal foundation, the Zayed Center, claims that it was Zionists, rather than Nazis, who “were the people who killed the Jews in Europe†during the Holocaust. It has held lectures on the blood libel and conspiracy theories about Jews and America perpetrating Sept. 11.
Another journalist, Rachel Ehrenfeld, in a thorough and devastating article on “Carter’s Arab Financiers,” meticulously catalogues Carter’s ties to Arab moneymen, from a Saudi bailout of his peanut farm in 1976, to funding for Carter’s presidential library, to continued support for all manner of Carter’s post-presidential activities. For instance, it was the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), founded in Pakistan and fronted by a Saudi billionaire, Gaith Pharaon, that helped Carter start up his beloved Carter Center. According to Ehrenfeld:
“BCCI’s origins were primarily ideological. [Agha Hasan] Abedi wanted the bank to reflect the supra-national Muslim credo and ‘the best bridge to help the world of Islam, and the best way to fight the evil influence of the Zionists.’
Its so sad and pathetic and painful.
It may be no coincidence, however, that in this curious, furious Last Hurrah, the focus of the debate has not been Palestine, nor Israel, nor peace, but Jimmy Carter himself.
From Haaretz…
I don’t think Rabbi’s saying there’s not enough dirty hands out there. Rather that Carter’s saintly image (not achieved without self-promotion), in comparison to other former world leaders who continue to be involved in public affairs, makes him that much more a hypocrite. When you put yourself too high on a pedastel you become more easily exposed.
When Carter’s old bi-partisan “admirers” like Israel supporters Guiliani and Kemp stop taking his calls, and when the Carter Center continues to lose contributors and legitimacy, Carter will either backpedal or pull the martyr card out so much no one will listen to him. At this point, like VJ said, who cares? Don’t let Carter divert attention away from how much damage Bush brought to Israel by destabilizing the region.
Carter’s better off doing what he does best, like spending the New Year in impovershed Asia building houses. Hopefully he got tired enough of the backlash and will focus on Habitat.
Yes, if you look to see who’s bankrolled all sorts of ‘Institutes’ ‘Forums’ ‘Think Tanks’ and many Presidential libraries, you see the same damn names pop up time after time. The Saudi’s of course will bribe almost anyone. But by the time Jimmy Carter was serving his first term as a little known Ga. Gov, before becoming a little known Prez., the Bush clan were already Partners with several Saudi & Gulf Arab concerns in the oil biz. That’s the real record here too. Carter, there’s just something about the man that likes to push the buttons & test the patience & souls of his very best friends. It may be a ‘martyr’ complex, who knows? But it’s been PO’ing folks down here in Ga. since forever, and there’s little or nothing anyone can do about it now, except note the contradictions & propaganda for the record.
The bottom line is that what Bush is doing and has done in the region in the last 6 years has done more to set back the real prospect for peace in the ME and specifically has seriously undermined Israeli security on a scale not seen in 50 years. Carter’s book will be largely forgotten in a year or so. We’ll all be struggling with Bush’s miserable & negative legacy for generations to come. So I think this is a bit of a sideshow. The real shows are all the various wars we are losing and don’t have any prospect of turning around, and the wars Bush wants to start in addition to these manifest failures. That’s where our real concerns should begin. ‘Palestine’ as a cause has been lost for generations. It’s going to wait a few more too. What’s new is losing real influence &/or the power to act over everything outside of Turkey & Israel to the Sea of Japan. That’s quite a set back folks.
Cheers, ‘VJ’
PS It’s taken quite awhile to post this. The site is still massively ‘buggy’ and sometimes can not be loaded for hours at a time.
Yeah, but you are singling him out for special treatment on account of his taking the money.
arg self serving, man.
and where is our weekly shabbat pretty photo of the promised land? huh?!?!?! 🙂
it takes a certain kind of personality to be in politics and it is usually a sever serving ego-maniacal worm. ipso facto…
Mufti, sing it loud and strong. Bush is bed with them too.
Carter deserves to be outed as a hypocrite, a loser, and for sale to the highest bidder.
There is NOT ONE president of the USA that is squeaky clean. They cannot be, as long as they are politicians.
This is not a smear campaign, this is the facts. Carter took the money, didnt he?
Amen, Middle. Let’s not forget some rather deep invovlement between the family of a certain president and the Saudis.
I honestly think it’s a mistake to attack Carter in this way. Essentially, whether this information is correct or not, this is a smear campaign. Let’s stick to the mistaken facts he provides in his book and appearances and keep the high road. Too much vitriol alienates the very people who should be siding with those of us who oppose his book.