As former president Jimmy Carter transitions from this world to the next, there will be the tendency to romanticize his accomplishments. Michael Oren’s op-ed in last week’s Jewish Link was spot on. Jimmy Carter was a deeply flawed human being who was no friend of the Jews or to Israel. But I will go a step further and say that Jimmy Carter caused more harm to the civilized world and Israel than any other single person since World War II.
I’m old enough to remember the cordial relations that existed between Iran and Israel. After Turkey, Iran was the second Muslim country to recognize Israel. There were direct flights between Tel Aviv and Tehran. Tourism, commerce and military cooperation existed between Israel and Iran. Israel was instrumental in helping the Shah modernize Iran.
That all changed when Carter naively called Ayatollah Khomeini “a man of God.” Carter turned his back on the Shah and rebuffed the Shah’s attempts to peacefully hand over power to his prime minister. The Carter administration paved the way for Khomeini, who at the time was exiled in France, to return to Iran. The world has never been the same. Fundamentalism won out over moderation.
And how did Khomeini repay Carter? By holding hostage our embassy staff and diplomats for 444 days, causing Carter to lose re-election. The embassy staff was released the moment Ronald Reagan became president!
Khomeini and his revolutionary guard imprisoned, tortured and killed more people than the Shah ever did. The Ayatollah declared war on Western civilization. Women became second-class citizens and barbaric punishments and shariah law were reinstated. A period of global jihad soon followed of which we are still to this day suffering the effects. Iran’s desire now was to wipe Israel off the face of the earth!
Carter’s feeble attempts post-presidency to reform his dismal record pales in comparison to the evil he unleashed on the civilized world. His meddling in foreign affairs and his meetings with terrorists and dictators harmed the United States and Israel. His meetings with Hamas gave them credibility. His book, “Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid,” was biased and filled with lies. Just the title of the book gave the left and antisemites powerful ammunition against Israel and endangered Jews all over the world.
Carter was weak and a fool, and certainly was not qualified to be president. Hopefully, the Carter record will not be white-washed and history will be reflected honestly.
