Carter: World Powers Must End Gaza Blockade

Former US president Jimmy Carter urged world powers to coerce Israel to end its blockade of Gaza in an article published in UK daily The Guardian on Saturday.

“I visited Gaza after the devastating January war and observed homeless people huddling in makeshift tents, under plastic sheets, or in caves dug into the debris of their former homes,” Carter wrote.

“Despite offers by Palestinian leaders and international agencies to guarantee no use of imported materials for even defensive military purposes, cement, lumber, and panes of glass are not being permitted to pass entry points into Gaza,” he continued.

“The US and other nations have accepted this abhorrent situation without forceful corrective action.”

The 84-year-old member of the Democratic Party argued that the international community has been failing for three decades to convince Israel to comply with international law.

“It is time to face the fact that, for the past 30 years, no one nation has been able or willing to break the impasse and induce the disputing parties to comply with international law. We cannot wait any longer,” he said.

Carter, who brokered the 1978 peace between Israel and Egypt, is an opponent of the US’ and Israel’s boycott of the Hamas movement, which rules Gaza. In June he visited Gaza and held talks with Hamas officials.

Carter oversaw the 2006 legislative elections that saw Hamas come to power. Following the election, Gaza and the Palestinian Authority came under a tightening blockade persists to the present.

Notes/Sources:

The article, as written by Ma’an News Staff, can be found at Ma’an Newsentitled: “Carter: World powers must end Gaza blockade”