Carter urges halt to Israeli settlement building - 27 Aug 09

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Carter urges halt to Israeli settlement building - 27 Aug 09

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Former US President Jimmy Carter says a freeze on Israeli settlements is "absolutely necessary" to achieving peace in the Middle East.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Carter, who is currently visiting Israel as a member of the group known as the 'Elders', spoke about his views on the prospects for Middle East peace.

His comments come as Barack Obama, the US president, attempts to seal an Arab-Israeli peace deal that has eluded the region for more than six decades.

His administration has already made it clear it opposes the ongoing building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land occupied since 1967.

Hundreds of thousands of homes have been constructed by Israel despite international condemnation and in contravention of international law.

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Transcript

for the building of settlements and the

pressure to stop them dominating plenty

of discussions then but there is another

issue that's not being embraced quite so

publicly and that's what to do with the

Palestinian movement Hamas we will go in

a moment to Gaza and get more from our

correspondent there on that but first

let's cross over now live to Jerusalem

and talk with an internationally

renowned statesman who has been to Gaza

and sat down with Hamas leaders let's

welcome Jimmy Carter the former US

president he's been visiting Israel as a

member of the group known as the eldest

thank you so much for joining us you

were quoted on june the 16th is saying

you would soon meet with obama

administration officials to discuss your

latest visit to the region what reaction

did you get from these officials to your

request for them to reconsider to remove

Hamas from the terrorist list well I

haven't made a specific request that

they do that but what the elders are

here for is to increase our knowledge of

the Mideast region and to add our

influence without any authority to the

pursuit of a comprehensive peace

agreement we have communicated with the

Obama officials that the settlement

freeze is absolutely necessary and this

includes any expansion of the

settlements and this is compatible with

the speech that President Obama made in

Cairo as you all know and also the

agreement that the Israelis made in

Annapolis a couple years ago when Olmert

was a prime minister that they would not

in expand the settlements including

natural growth and that included both

the West Bank of course and east

jerusalem and even last month as you

also know they are you know that's a

quartet reiterated its demand that all

settlement expansion stop included

natural growth throughout the West Bank

and East Jerusalem as I'm sure you're

aware though the recent reports seem to

indicate that the u.s. is position or

the Obama administration's position on

demanding an absolute halt to settlement

activity may be softening do you think

that the they're going in the right

direction with that softening is not in

there

direction no like I think that Sandridge

are you concerned then that perhaps a

deal that would allow settlement

activity to continue in some form may be

actually counterproductive for the peace

process I certainly do think it's not

only counterproductive but it's a

violation of what I just outlined the

statement that President Obama made in

Cairo and the official reiteration of

that premise by the international

quartet members even just last month no

expansion of settlement activity

including natural growth and that

certainly includes East Jerusalem as

well as or perhaps even more importantly

than was the West Bank we could come

back to the issue of Hamas again you

have made statements in the past calling

for the u.s. to change its position on

Hamas have you seen it any indication

from Obama administration officials to

indicate that they actually might take

that course well I would like to see

some communication even either direct or

indirect between the American officials

or representatives and Hamas as well as

as Fatah because Hamas has got to be

involved in the future I would say

reconciliation in the Palestinian

community and also has to be involved

ultimately in approving or disapproving

or copying it's a peace agreement is

reached between Israel and the

Palestinian community I've met it length

with the Hamas officials as you may know

in Damascus and also from Gaza and they

have assured me and announced publicly

that Hamas would accept a an agreement

negotiated between their representatives

that is Mahmoud Abbas of Amazon on the

one hand and Israeli officials if it's

submitted to the Palestinian people and

approved in a referendum to let the

public say among the Palestinians this

is okay with us so I think that's a

major step forward and that's an

important of factors and of course I

would also like for Hamas to agree

perhaps to accept in its entirety the

implementation of the Arab Peace

Initiative that was taken first

announced first in 2002 and

y'all ready last year oh that's the

figure than jumping in again I guess I

have two important questions on this

point first of all when you say Hamas

appear to have accepted or have stated

that they will accept a creation of a

Palestinian state in 1967 lines it's

well known but did they indicate they

would accept the existence of the state

of israel in principle that seems to be

one of the demands of the pietà yes

existence yes recognition no they

haven't agreed to recognition because

Israel has never recognized officially

even the Palestinian National Authority

the only thing that Israel has ever

recognized officially is the PLO and

that was a result of the Oslo agreement

as you know so a recognition I've been

president I've negotiated a lot of times

recognition is a mutual affair and I

don't think there's any constant talk

contemplation of Israel recognizing that

Hamas but I think that in the future

with a peace agreement that can be

mutual recognition even officially of a

Palestinian nation in the west bank and

gaza and east jerusalem and israeli

nation behind the 67 borders and my

final point then mr. Carter is again on

the point of the Obama administration's

reaction do you believe have you seen

anything to indicate that their position

on Hamas might change I think they're

from their position on Hamas might

change but first it's up to Fatah

leaders and Hamas leaders to have a

reconciliation between them so that the

United States can deal with a

comprehensive unity government that

represents equally both Hamas and Fatah

I don't think that it's possible for the

United States to acknowledge or deal

directly with Hamas to the exclusion of

a comprehensive unity Palestinian

community all right thank you very much

for talking to us former US President

Jimmy Carter it's a pleasure thank you