WND

Outrage as Jewish law school honors Jimmy Carter

Alumni protest 'ignominious history of anti-Israel bigotry'

Garth Kant is WND Washington news editor.  Previously, he spent five years writing, copy-editing and producing at "CNN Headline News," three years writing, copy-editing and training writers at MSNBC, and also served several local TV newsrooms as producer, executive producer and assistant news director.  His most recent book is "Capitol Crime: Washington's cover-up of the Killing of Miriam Carey."  He also is the author of the McGraw-Hill textbook, "How to Write Television News." 

Plans by students at a Jewish university in New York to give an award to former President Jimmy Carter have some alumni seeing red. 

Carter was chosen to receive the award by students who run the Journal of Conflict Resolution at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law. 

He is scheduled to receive the International Advocate for Peace Award at Cardoza on Wednesday. 

A group of Cardoza graduates has sent an email to other alumni protesting the award and urging the school to cancel the presentation event.  The Coalition of Concerned Cardozo Alumni has also established a website outlining the case against Carter as a worthy recipient. 

The letter says, “It is simply unconscionable for a Jewish affiliated school to honor someone who has played such a high profile role in demonizing the Jewish state.” 

The website Shame on Cardoza outlines the reasons so many find Carter particularly unacceptable for an award from an historically Jewish instiution:

“He is responsible for helping to mainstream the antisemitic notion that Israel is an apartheid state with his provocatively titled book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” the publication of which prompted mass resignations from the Carter Center.  He has met numerous times with leaders of the terror group Hamas whitewashing their genocidal goals and undermining U.S. efforts to isolate Hamas.  And Carter’s record of slandering Israel is so voluminous that both CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) and Alan Dershowitz have written books refuting his lies.” 

Carter’s book accusing Israel of apartheid was perhaps his most direct attack on the Jewish state.  When it came out in 2007, WND CEO Joseph Farah explained how Carter blamed the murderous actions of terrorists on Israel. 

WND has also reported on other questionable actions and statements by Carter since he left office in 1981. 

The deal Carter brokered with North Korea in 1994 to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return for oil and two nuclear reactors was a bust.  A few years later, North Korea simply ignored the deal and announced it had become a nuclear state. 

In 2005, Carter hob-knobbed with an unregistered agent of Saddam Hussein, Samir Vincent, inviting him into his home, and giving him a guided tour of the Carter Center in Atlanta. 

In 2006, Carter made a personal promise to ambassadors from Egypt, Pakistan and Cuba that he would fight to undermine U.S. opposition to a new U.N. Human Rights Commission panel.  The U.S. opposed the new panel because it would continue to allow known human-rights abusers to serve on the commission. 

In 2007, he slammed the relationship between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush, calling it “abominable … loyal, blind, apparently subservient.” 

Carter had even stronger words, just for Bush. 

“I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history,” he said. 

Carter excused a North Korean attack on a South Korean island in 2010, saying it was simply “designed to remind the world that they deserve respect in negotiations that will shape their future.” 

Carter expressed sympathy to North Korea upon the death of dictator Kim Jong-il in 2011.  The Korean Central News Agency reported Carter sent a note of condolence to Kim’s son and successor. 

Carter faulted Obama for being too tough on American enemies that are pursuing nuclear capabilities.  Carter thinks the U.S would have more influence if it promised to drop sanctions against Iran and North Korea. 

The Shame on Cardoza website has a long list of statements and actions by Carter other than his book, compiled by CAMERA, that it says were also detrimental to Israel.