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From RJC:
Washington, DC... The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) today sent a letter signed by six former U.S. ambassadors to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, asking him to remove former President Jimmy Carter from his position as Honorary Chairman of Democrats Abroad, an arm of the DNC.
The letter comes in response to statements by Carter which call into doubt his suitability as a representative of the United States abroad. Recently, he criticized the U.S. government for withholding direct aid to Hamas, describing this policy as "criminal."
The letter states:
As you probably know, in public comments made on June 21 after receiving a donation for his foundation from a group in Dublin, Ireland, the former President castigated our government and the governments of Israel and the European Union for withholding direct aid to Hamas leaders in the Palestinian Authority. Carter described this policy as "criminal."
It has been nearly a decade since the State Department under President Clinton designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. As you know, it is illegal for individuals in our country - much less the federal government itself - to knowingly provide material support or resources to an organization that has been so designated.
In light of these considerations, it is the course of action Carter is advocating - provision of direct aid to Hamas by the U.S. government - that would be "criminal." In light of Hamas' long record of murderous attacks on civilians in Israel and within the Palestinian territories, it would also be grossly immoral.
... You may recall that last November, a Hamas subsidiary issued a communiqué calling on sympathizers to attack American targets "all over the globe." It is difficult for us to understand how Carter can be deemed fit to serve as Honorary Chairman of Democrats Abroad after having urged support for Hamas.
When a prominent American such as a former U.S. President makes statements abroad so at odds with American policy and with good sense, they raise diplomatic and public diplomacy difficulties for our government and our official spokesmen abroad.
When Jimmy Carter published an anti-Israel book, the DNC issued a statement saying that "on this issue President Carter speaks for himself, the opinions in his book are his own, they are not the views or position of the Democratic Party." Given Carter's most recent statements, the former ambassadors call upon Chairman Dean to match action to words by removing Jimmy Carter from his official position with Democrats Abroad.
