An anonymous source told news agencies that a Palestinian terrorist group attempted an attack on President Jimmy Carter while he was visiting Gaza Strip yesterday, June 16. Allegedly, the Al-Qaida linked group planted two roadside bombs along the path that Carter’s caravan was taking. The bombs were supposedly placed at a border crossing between Gaza and Israel.
The Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab al-Rassin said they have no information about an assassination attempt, even though witnesses saw Hamas forces detonating explosive right around the border area.
The former U.S. President met with Hamas leaders to discuss the ongoing conflict with Israel and toured some of the ruins caused by Israeli strikes from last January.
Carter is in the area with his humanitarian organization The Carter Center to persuade the leaders in the region to lift the economic blockade that has been crippling both countries.
"'The responsibility for this terrible human rights crime lies in Jerusalem, Cairo, Washington, and throughout the international community. This abuse must cease; the crimes must be investigated; the walls must be brought down, and the basic right of freedom must come to you,' he [Carter] told the crowd.
He said Palestinian statehood could not come at the expense of Israeli security, while Israeli security could not come at the expense of Palestinian statehood.”
Initially the Carter delegation refused to comment on the assassination attempt, only saying that they were briefed on it while in the region.
Carter’s spokesperson out of Atlanta released the following statement: ““President Carter ended his trip to Lebanon, Syria, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza today as originally planned and has departed to return home. We have no knowledge of a bomb plot against him. His visit to Gaza was without incident.”
Jimmy Carter lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Rosalynn where they are both involved with their human rights organization The Carter Center.
CORRECTION: Jimmy Carter's main residence is in Plains, GA.
Comments
Ewa, I'm a bit confused about the comment you make regarding "lift the economic blockade that has been crippling both countries". Which is the other country being crippled?
under the blockade the imports AND exports out of gaza are banned. both countries are suffering under it although palestine much more for sure. the other country is obviously Israel.
Aimee, I agree, it's all-around poor research. She didn't even get the small facts straight: Jimmy Carter lives in Plains, Georgia -- always has, always will. It's not even a suburb of Atlanta -- not even close. It's in the southwest part of the state.
Of course carter has a place in atl, his office and job are here. His main residance is in plains, but that's hardly a big deal. Why do liberals hate Israel?
It's funny that Carter is there accusing Israel of everything that's evil and in return Palestinians try to whack him
And how come Carter won't mention the repeated violence against Israel, like the one reported today by a terrorist group out of Gaza. Israel has no choice. They are definitely negatively affected by the economic blockade, it's that much worse for Gaza and that's why they do it. Israel had to just sit there and take it for long enough.
Carter always has and always will live in Plains? You mean except for the time when he was President and lived in DC, and the time when he was Governor and lived in the Governor's mansion in Atlanta, and except the last few decades when he's been running his operation Carter Center out of Atlanta. Except for those times he's always lived in Plains, GA. Dude, connect the dots....
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