Shlomo Mostofsky, NCYI President, responds to President Carter's Op Ed in 4/28 NY Times

April 28, 2008

To the Editor:

In “Pariah Diplomacy” (April 28, 2008), former President Carter expounds upon his recent meeting with Hamas officials and claims to have uncovered the magical solution to the turmoil in the Middle East.  He could not be more wrong.

Carter acknowledges that Hamas was deemed a “terrorist organization” by the United States, a designation reserved for entities that engage in terrorism which threatens the security of our nation.  As a former Commander-in-Chief, Carter should know better than to ignore that designation, a fact he was reminded of when U.S. officials chastised him for his ill-advised meeting.

Carter purports to have achieved a diplomatic miracle, yet his mission was doomed from the outset.  By engaging Hamas in diplomatic talks, Carter empowered a group whose very existence is rooted in destruction, not democracy.  Carter embraced a group which has called for the obliteration of the U.S. and Israel, thereby making him the pariah in this unfortunate episode.

Sincerely yours,

Shlomo Z. Mostofsky, Esq.

President