Jimmy Carter's Selective Memory

Referring to the 1979 Peace Agreement between Israel & Egypt, "...And so far as I know, not a single word of that treaty has been violated," so said former US president (1977-81) and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter, speaking recently during an interview with the BBC.

Yet in an interview of April 27, 1982 with Israeli Army Radio, then Prime Minister Menachem Begin, spoke of such serious violations by the Egyptians, that he had threatened to postpone the Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai.

"The violations were noticed, we have a 150-kilometer demilitarized zone in Sinai. For us the soul of the peace treaty is our security. Since it is desert we can know of every movement and every change, and we do know them. We demanded of the Egyptians that they correct and they corrected. They removed all the additional units and this area remained completely demilitarized of the Egyptian army," Begin said.

The violations also included, "the smuggling of weapons and explosives originating in Lebanon from El-Arish, and we caught more than 500 hand grenades. You can imagine how many people could have been killed or wounded by such a quantity of grenades. We also demanded of the Egyptians that they end this smuggling, and indeed, President Mubarak, in his letter to me of April 16, made a commitment to prevent the smuggling and combat it," Begin continued.

So even before the Israeli withdrawal in 1982, Egypt already began violating the agreement. Did Jimmy Carter really forget that?

But it began even earlier. Discussing Egyptian violations of the Interim Agreement with the newspaper Ma'ariv on Sept. 12, 1977 (during Carter's presidency), Begin was asked, "In the meantime, the Egyptians continue to violate the interim agreement and the Chief of Staff said that they are 'playing hide and seek' with the Americans and with us. What does the government intend to do about it?"

Begin answered, "Some time ago I received a notice from General Gamasy, the Egyptian War Minister, through General Silasvuo, UN forces' commander in the Middle East, that Egypt would strictly observe the interim agreement. Since then, however, it has become clear that a special situation exists in the canal area: the Egyptians are sending thousands of extra troops into Sinai, in violation of the agreements. Prior to the UN checkup they returned them to the west bank, and so at the time of the checkup there were no more troops there than had been agreed on. After the UN checkup, they returned the troops to the east bank, to Sinai. This is a situation that we cannot accept."

Begin continued, "As a result the Minister of Defense, Ezer Weizman, had another talk with General Silasvuo to inform him of the continuing Egyptian violations. Ezer requested him to fly to Cairo to hand General Gamasy our demand that the agreement be honored. We, on our part, honor and keep the agreement. I requested that General Gamasy be told that in the present period all of us must consider the process of peace making in the Middle East and not engage in violations of agreements that have already been signed. According to the UN forces' commander, the Egyptian commander agreed to this. Now we have General Gamasy's renewed commitment, and I hope that we will stand up to the test."

The Ma'ariv reporter then asked, "Did the Israel government inform the US of the continuation of the Egyptian violations and of the seriousness with which they were regarded by Israel?"

And Begin answered, "The Americans are aware of this development as they see it for themselves on the ground." So began the 'Peace Process' with Egypt, leaving a trail of agreement violations.

Since then, there have been numerous violations on Egypt's part all well documented throughout the years.

For example, Egyptian troop movements into demilitarized areas and putting a division into Sinai, which is really a skeleton of four divisions that could be inflated quickly if they decided to attack. Bridgeheads were constructed on the east bank of the canal, for quick entry into Sinai. All their military planning and exercises have presumed a war to their east. Who else if not with Israel? Israeli military intelligence has noted an increasingly aggressive military posture in the last 3-4 years and has voiced quiet concern.

Weapons smuggling through tunnels from Egyptian military positions into Gaza that end up in the hands of Palestinian terrorists, has reached epidemic proportions. When Israeli Defenses Forces blow up the tunnels, they see the smoke rising at the other end, next to the Egyptian positions.

The withdrawal of the Egyptian Ambassador from Israel just after the outbreak of the current Oslo War is a clear violation of the treaty. As is the ongoing calls for professional and economic boycotts of Israelis.

Finally, there is continuing Anti-Semitism and incitement against Israel in Egyptian textbooks and in the Egyptian media. For example, a recent hit song played on the radio, entitled, 'I Hate Israel', political cartoons in newspapers reminiscent of the Nazi era, and a current TV series based on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. There seems to be no effort on the part of the Egyptian government to educate toward peace.

Yet, according to the Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt of March 26, 1979:

Article III 2. Each Party undertakes to ensure that acts or threats of belligerency, hostility, or violence do not originate from and are not committed from within its territory, or by any forces subject to its control or by any other forces stationed on its territory, against the population, citizens or property of the other Party. Each Party also undertakes to refrain from organizing, instigating, inciting, assisting or participating in acts or threats of belligerency, hostility, subversion or violence against the other Party, anywhere, and undertakes to ensure that perpetrators of such acts are brought to justice.

Although directly responsible for military violations of the treaty, Egypt generally hides behind the mask of 'free speech or academic freedom' when Anti-Semitic and inciteful behavior is addressed. Just as Israel has laws against racial incitement against Arabs, Egypt is treaty bound to legislate and enforce laws against hostile activities and incitement against Jews and Israel.

At the Nobel Lecture, given by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2002, Jimmy Carter (Oslo, December 10, 2002), Carter stated, "At Camp David in 1978 and in Oslo in 1993, Israelis, Egyptians, and Palestinians have endorsed the only reasonable prescription for peace: United Nations Resolution 242. It condemns the acquisition of territory by force, calls for withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories, and provides for Israelis to live securely and in harmony with their neighbors."

Yet UN Security Council Resolution 242 of Nov. 22, 1967 states:

1. Affirms that the fulfillment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:

(i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;

(ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.

Eugene V. Rostow, Professor of Law and Public Affairs, Yale University, who, in 1967, was US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs stated: " ... paragraph 1 (i) of the Resolution calls for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces 'from territories occupied in the recent conflict', and not 'from the territories occupied in the recent conflict'. Repeated attempts to amend this sentence by inserting the word 'the' failed in the Security Council. It is, therefore, not legally possible to assert that the provision requires Israeli withdrawal from all the territories now occupied under the cease-fire resolutions to the Armistice Demarcation lines" (American Journal of International Law, Volume 64, September 1970, p. 69).

UN Resolution 242 states, "from territories" and not "from the occupied territories" as Carter said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Eugene V. Rostow has described UN Resolution 242 as deliberately worded to leave open the possibility that, Israel would not withdraw from all of the territory it captured. British officials (including Lord Caradon, sponsor of the draft resolution-its original language being English) and Soviet officials at the time of UN Resolution 242's adoption, in addition to US officials, have all concurred. Permanent boundaries were left to future negotiation between the neighboring states.

How could the distinguished Jimmy Carter have forgotten all that? Maybe 'Peace', such as Mr. Carter is being lionized for pursuing, is achieved by only remembering what he chooses to, and forgetting the 'nasty little treaty violations' and 'troublesome wording' of security council resolutions that disturb his 'Peace'.

(c)2002/5763 Pasko