Former President Carter Meets with Exiled Hamas Leader
Late into the hours on Sunday, former President Jimmy Carter met with Khaled Meshaal, the militant leader of Hamas who lives in exile in Damascus, Syria. We know that the major issues discussed in that meeting include the fate of Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped by Hamas back in the summer of 2006 and has been held captive ever since. The 2nd issue is a broader negotiation for peace. There has been a six-month ceasefire that has by and large held in Gaza. That peace agreement ends this week. We will have to wait and see how that plays out. Jimmy Carter’s last meeting with Meshaal was in April. When he returned to the United States, he was under great criticism from the Bush administration, which called the meetings unhelpful. The United States classifies Hamas a terrorist organization.
Paul Shapiro
