Hamas says it foiled Carter assassination attempt
Jimmy Carter with the media at the ruins of the American International School, which was destroyed during Israel's offensive in Gaza earlier this year. Associated Press.
Former President Jimmy Carter left the Middle East on Tuesday saying he didn’t believe reports of a bomb plot to kill him while in Gaza.
This from Deanna Congelio, a spokeswoman for Carter in Atlanta, who sent an e-mail to the AJC minutes ago: “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.”
Several local news agencies addressed the situation. A Jerusalem Post article closed with this:
Earlier Tuesday, Hamas said it foiled an attempt by Palestinian terrorists to assassinate former US president Jimmy Carter during his visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian sources told news agencies.
Another Israeli newspaper, Ha’aretz, had slightly more detail:
Carter arrived in the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave earlier Tuesday for rare talks with leaders of the otherwise internationally shunned radical Islamist movement.
Entering through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing, north of Gaza City, his convoy immediately proceeded to north-east Gaza to inspect the damage of Israel’s December 27-January 18 offensive, launched in bid to curb rocket attacks from the strip.
A Hamas security source meanwhile said Israel briefly closed the Erez crossing point Tuesday after explosives were found near the Palestinian side of the crossing, shortly after Carter entered Gaza.
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said “the explosives were found on the route that Carter had passed when he entered Gaza this morning.” Carter was due to leave Gaza using the same road later Tuesday afternoon.
The Associated Press approached the topic cautiously, but included the contradictory reports and far more detail, from both Israeli and Palestinian sources:
During [Carter’s] visit, Hamas security found what appeared to be explosives buried in a sand dune next to Carter’s route. No one was hurt, and it was unclear if the former U.S. president was being targeted…..
After leaving Gaza, Carter said he did not believe reports of a bomb plot to kill him while in Gaza.
Following Carter’s entry to Gaza, five men, some wearing Hamas police uniforms, removed three large, black disks and some wire from a sand dune next to a road Carter had used.
A uniformed officer at the scene told The Associated Press that the items were explosives, but police spokesman Islam Shahwan later said that an explosives unit had found nothing.
Israeli security officials say soldiers in a lookout post spotted Hamas forces dismantling explosives. They said they passed on a warning to Carter’s security detail.
The Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified information.
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148 comments Add your comment
Gandalf, the White! (!)
June 16th, 2009
3:30 pm
But Hamas isn’t a terrorist group? Peanut farmer need to go home and STFU!
Gandalf, the White! (!)
June 16th, 2009
3:42 pm
I’m in love. It makes me silly.
Too Easy
June 16th, 2009
3:43 pm
Why wasn’t he in Iran monitoring the elections?
johnatl
June 16th, 2009
3:44 pm
Gandalf – You are the one that needs to STFU. Jimmy has more class in his pinky finger than half of this State. How many other ex-Presidents offer such selfless service to various organizations like Habitat? You don’t see him running around the world collecting $150,000 for 40 minute speeches. Get a clue.
Reality Check
June 16th, 2009
3:48 pm
How ironic, Carter, a crazy lefty has spent many times defending Hamas almost got assainated by them. Maybe one day all Americans will realize that no matter how much you use appeasement as a method with the middle east and North Korea, they will never stop trying to kill us.
Joe Public
June 16th, 2009
3:48 pm
I call bs. Hamas are the terrorists, not the ones who stop it. As far as Jimmah goes, i wish the idiot would stay there.
The Murf
June 16th, 2009
3:48 pm
I’m not a fan of Carter as a politician but johnatl is right Gandalf
J Moore
June 16th, 2009
3:51 pm
The last “class” this ole fool had was a high school one!
jimbob
June 16th, 2009
3:52 pm
no one is trying to kill Jamal, and he’s not a brave rebel. There is much money to be made in slandering Jews. What a bitter and demented old man.
TC
June 16th, 2009
3:56 pm
Maybe its wasn’t Hamas… Think about it for a second. Whether you agree on not stop and think. How many things happen with governments that we (common folk) will never know about.
bad dog
June 16th, 2009
3:58 pm
Maybe I am reading this wrong, but I read it as Hamas stopped an attempt by Palestinian terrorists.
toenail
June 16th, 2009
4:04 pm
Hamas probably did stop some of their elements from doing it because it would make them look so bad
beachmom
June 16th, 2009
4:04 pm
Too Easy — I am sure the Carter Center would have liked to have observed the Iranian election if it was permitted to. However, no international observers were allowed in.
obvious
June 16th, 2009
4:05 pm
Looks like some people need to learn to read
Get It Right
June 16th, 2009
4:10 pm
Hamas is the group to which the Palestinian terrorists belong. This is typical for them. Create a situation and manipulate the news. They planted the explosives and then “found” them, saving our boy Jimmy.
Melody
June 16th, 2009
4:11 pm
All of you seem to be missing the point: Hamas FOILED the assasination attempt. Yes, crazy terrorists did try to kill him, but Hamas did stop it because they like Carter. If it had been Bush, do you think they would have stopped it?
no fool like an old fool
June 16th, 2009
4:12 pm
I have known Carter for a very long time, and he has become a bitter, senile old fool. He is the darling of the terrorists (Hamas) because of his anti-semitism. After his disastrous presidency the only way he could dig himself out of obscurity was to pander to dictators and spread his hate America message. As for his piety and do-gooder personna,these are as phony as a $3 bill. Time to go sit on the porch Jimmy.
Bill
June 16th, 2009
4:12 pm
The hatred expressed by the far right for Mr. Carter is truly breathtaking. Mr. Carter is a great man who has made significant contributions to world peace. The vitriol of those who hate him is of the type which fuels wars around the world, and hate crimes in this country. It is truly frightening how these right wing extremists are inciting a new level of domestic violence.
ricardo
June 16th, 2009
4:15 pm
Carter may be getting older, but he speaks the truth. The Zionists can’t stand it.
GoBacktoPlains
June 16th, 2009
4:17 pm
Dhimmi has done a lot of good in his life. Unfortunately that part of his life is behind him. Hamas didn’t wat him blown up while in Gaza because it would have been bad for PR, no more, no less.
Joe Public
June 16th, 2009
4:17 pm
If you believe everything you read on the AJC you are the goof, dude. Three guesses on what the living Cox sister is. Besides rich.
GoBacktoPlains
June 16th, 2009
4:19 pm
Ricardo, you are an idiot. Please enlighten us as to what part of Hamas not being a terrorist org is truthful.
Reality Check
June 16th, 2009
4:21 pm
Bill, I have no ill will toward President Carter at all I just don’t agree with his beliefs on how to deal with domestic affairs. Could you please tell us all what policies Carter has ever had in place to help foreign affairs? He did nothing as a president but make our defenses weaker as a country so please enlighten all of us “right wing extremists” of what he has done to bring peace anywhere?
Nikki
June 16th, 2009
4:22 pm
I guess I’m the only native Georgian around anymore. Anyone who sat through years of mandatory Georgia history classes would know better than to call Jimmy Carter a lefty. He’s a Georgia Democrat, like many before him. We may not be the most conservative bunch, but we’re definitely the most pragmatic.
Jimmy Carter has a distinguished record of serving Georgia. Georgians have always been proud of Jimmy even when they disagreed with him. He did manage to win his state in the 1980 re-election despite all the problems at the time.
conservative democrat
June 16th, 2009
4:28 pm
Compare JC to W. How many American boys and girls died in the middle east while JC was prez? W, 5000+.
HoodWinked
June 16th, 2009
4:30 pm
GetItRight…you beat me to it! This is a classic case of Muchausen By Proxy, or Richard Jewell syndrome…when the FBI wanted to charge him with the Olympic Park bombing, thinking he staged it to make himself a hero. These guys in the middle east need to build a little self esteem.
matt
June 16th, 2009
4:30 pm
No – Georgians have not been proud of Jimmy Carter. Only the bed wetters that live in Georgia.
Soledad Brother Jackson
June 16th, 2009
4:31 pm
Where would Galloway be with out cut and paste?
AJC Reader
June 16th, 2009
4:31 pm
Reality Check:
Does the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE sound familiar? Or do you think they just hand those out?
ricardo
June 16th, 2009
4:35 pm
The Zionists are coming out of their holes..Look Out!
Desert Dawg
June 16th, 2009
4:37 pm
Jimmy needs to grow old gracefully. He had his time but it’s over. Stay home and play with Rosalyn.
what the f
June 16th, 2009
4:38 pm
anti-semitism???? are you serious? what’s wrong, you can’t handle the truth? the jews think they own everything over there.. he’s right, they need to look in the mirror before they say anything. they talk about peace, they don’t want peace, they want STUFF, including land. i know president carter personally, been on many trips with him, all over the world, and even though i DO NOT AGREE with his politics, he just pointing out the obvious in the middle east. the jews showed up back in the 30’s and 40’s and think they own the place and can make all the rules. no i’m not anti-jew, but the truth is the truth. carter is trying to do good over there.
Reality Check
June 16th, 2009
4:40 pm
conservative democrat – First of all who ever said I was a fan of George W. Bush? He made plenty of mistakes but you proved my point exactly. Carter did nothing to the military but destroyed it, which in turn did nothing to help any part of the world. If we go by deaths as a measure of a effective President, then I guess Abe Lincoln was a terrible President huh?
Fred
June 16th, 2009
4:42 pm
As a native Georgian of more than 60 years I can say I was never so embarassed in my life that four years Carter was president.I was ashamed to tell anyone I was from Ga.
Not only was he a poor governor, he was a horrible president as most Georgians who lived in that era can testify.
WHY WON”T HE GO AWAY???
what the f
June 16th, 2009
4:43 pm
and for those of you who didn’t know, he really doesn’t have anything to do with Habitat anymore. he’s more concentrated on 3rd world countries and all the diseases they have.
Reality Check
June 16th, 2009
4:43 pm
AJC Reader- Al Gore won the same PRIZE for his great work on global warming so give me a break. It’s political, so please don’t try to make Jimmy Carter out to be some great peace maker until you give me some facts.
S GA dem
June 16th, 2009
4:43 pm
These right wing lunatics shouting their hatred for everything America stands for should be called out for what they really are. They’re Republicans! There, I said it.
habishat
June 16th, 2009
4:45 pm
the only people that think working with habitat for humanity is a good deed are the white people who live in the burbs and want to feel like they’re helping those poor minorities out.
come to my neighborhood (mechanicsville) and see all the “good” habitat is bringing. most of the houses are ripped up crack havens. if you want to do some good, get to my hood and educate.
martin
June 16th, 2009
4:45 pm
Carter has done more to spread peace as an ex-president than Monkey-Boy Bush did in the agonizing 8 years of his failed administration.
what the f
June 16th, 2009
4:46 pm
right, reality check, famous abe, george washington himself, fdr, all terrible presidents, according to the conservative democrat…
hell, abe wanted to send all slaves back home, really glad he didn’t, we wouldn’t have the nba of nfl right now.
Beagle Bailey
June 16th, 2009
4:47 pm
Desert Gawg: who’d want to play with that old bag?
JC
June 16th, 2009
4:47 pm
To AJC Reader I think you got it right the first time.apparently they do hand out NOBEL PEACE PRIZES WHEN AL GORE GOT ONE!
Reality Check
June 16th, 2009
4:48 pm
S GA dem – if its any party that doesnt know what America stands for its your socialist democrats. The republican partty definitely has its crazies but they don’t want handouts like lazy, drain on society democrats.
Justin
June 16th, 2009
4:49 pm
You have a lot ignorant bigots/right-wing estremists on this site who are quick to hurl insults on those they disagree with. They lack a sense of history – President Carter is the only president that have brought about an enduring peace in the middle east, that between Isreal and Egypt. He is not a hateful man, he is a true christian because he love those with whom disagree with and willing to work with and help them. If these haters can only accomplish one millionth of what Mr. Carter has done in his life, they would have live a purposeful life.
Reality Check
June 16th, 2009
4:49 pm
Martin – lets see some facts please?
what the f
June 16th, 2009
4:50 pm
Rosalyn does have the sexiest accent. don’t y’all boys from up north just love our southern belles??
Reality Check
June 16th, 2009
4:50 pm
All post attributed to Reality Check prior to this have been posted by a Fraud!!!Get your own ID Theif!!!!
The “REAL” Reality Check!!!
Will Jones - Atlanta
June 16th, 2009
4:51 pm
Carter was President of the United States of America yet one of JFK’s known assassins just made news parachuting again to try to purge his conscience of the two crewmen his cowardice murdered by parachuting off Chi-Chi-Jima. Either he is an ignorant, self-righteous fool with no mind to the cancer on our body politic now manifested as that assassin’s son’s Reichstag Fire Redux on 9/11 for more false war, or he is a more “connected” part of the problem who “smoothed the waters” after Warren Commission cover-up artist Ford pardoned the other primary leader of the CIA’s hit-team in Dallas, Richard Nixon.
The “assassination threat” is a sham. Carter is the best thing the Maronite Roman Catholics have running the Palastinians, doing the papacy’s work, which failed with Hitler, promoting death of Jews in the State of Israel,.
SOWEGA
June 16th, 2009
4:51 pm
1. Read people – Hamas didn’t target Carter – Hamas prevented a planned attack – that would make Hamas the good guys in this situation.
2. Carter’s flaws as President was the he refused to play politics in Washington – which means he couldn’t really get anything accomplished because he and Congress didn’t play nice – and it takes both branches to do most anything. Doesn’t make him a bad guy – just means he wasn’t maybe the best President at the time.
3. If you are embarrassed that Carter is from GA you are probably one of the folks that proudly had your “W” stickers on your car as late as 2008.
4. To the person who says you know Carter and that he’s old, bitter, and senile – you don’t know Carter. I live like 2 minutes from him and talk to him all the time – he’s quite the opposite.
JC
June 16th, 2009
4:54 pm
Will – You need to get some help.