Politics

Jimmy Carter: US Influence In Israel, Palestine At ‘An All-Time Low’ [VIDEO]

Al Weaver Reporter
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Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that the United States’ current influence in the Israel-Palestine conflict is “at an all-time low,” adding that the U.S. has “basically relinquished” its past role as a “trusted mediator.”

Carter, who appeared on “Morning Joe” to discuss his new book, made the remarks after saying recently that the Obama administration’s accomplishments on the world stage “have been minimal.” (RELATED: Jimmy Carter: Obama’s Accomplishments On World Stage ‘Have Been Minimal’)

EUGENE ROBINSON: Mr. President, one of the episodes you cover in the book is the remarkable success you had with Middle East negotiations and nothing bigger than with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. Look at the Middle East today. What should we do? What should be done? How do we — it just seems to get worse and worse and worse, and is there any vision of a possibility there or a better situation or outcome?

JIMMY CARTER: As far as Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians, I don’t see any prospect in the immediate future for any progress to be made. The new Netanyahu government has almost completely rejected any sort of two-state solution. And the two-state solution is one that the United States and all the other nations in the world endorse and accept, except for Israel. The United States has basically relinquished its previous preeminence as a trusted mediator. I would say that our influence in Palestine and our influence in Israel is now at an all-time low as far as I know since I have been involved in politics. And so far as I know, the United States is making no effort at all to orchestrate a resumption of peace talks or peace movements. Now the Palestinians are making an effort on their own to move toward Europe and to move toward the United Nations to try to get international law to try to enforce a principles that the rest of the world accepts. So at this point I say it’s at an all-time low in my lifetime, as far as prospects for peace and progress and justice for the Israelis and the Palestinians is concerned.