Jimmy Carter Calls Bush Policy on Palestine "Criminal"

This post, written by Dr. Bruce Prescott, originally appeared on Mainstream Baptist

In a scathing denunciation of the Bush administration's foreign policy toward Palestine, former President Carter labeled it "criminal" at an NGO conference on Human Rights in Dublin. Here's a quote:

Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who was addressing a human rights conference in Ireland, also said the Bush administration's refusal to accept Hamas' 2006 election victory was "criminal."

Carter said Hamas, besides winning a fair and democratic mandate that should have entitled it to lead the Palestinian government, had proven itself to be far more organized in its political and military showdowns with Abbas' moderate Fatah movement.

In the eyes of the non-Christian world, nothing could discredit both democracy and Christianity more than an American President who launches pre-emptive wars under false pretenses, authorizes the secret rendition and torture of prisoners, and then lectures the world about the virtues of both faith and democracy. And nothing could discredit the Church more than the fact that this President can still boast that his most loyal support comes from the ranks of the most publicly fervent and vocal proponents of the Christian faith.