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Jimmy Carter: ICC Should Look Into War Crime Allegations From Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Jimmy Carter: ICC Should Look Into Palestinian War Crime Claims
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In a HuffPost Live interview Tuesday, former President Jimmy Carter told host Marc Lamont Hill he supports the International Criminal Court looking into Palestinian accusation of war crimes against Israel, saying the ICC should take "an inquisitive look" at those allegations.

"Not only at what the Israelis have done to the Palestinians, but vice versa," Carter said. "I've been to the places in Israel, for instance, where the Hamas rockets land. I've been there and seen the rockets and condemned them on television. There are problems both ways. But I think to expose what has happened to the world in a very careful and judicious way will probably be good for both sides."

Carter has been involved with politics in the region for quite some time, with the 90-year-old supporting a two-state system. Conversely, President Obama said Monday the U.S. does not support the Palestinians' bid to join the ICC, arguing that Palestine is not a recognized state and thus has no right to appear in international court.

"About 150 nations recognize Palestine as a nation, as an official state," Carter said. "Although the United States has always been in lockstep with Israel on these kind of matters, it's not a common belief all over the world. I don't believe there's any doubt that the Palestinians deserve to have a nation of their own, alongside a free and protected state of Israel."

Watch the rest of the HuffPost Live conversation here.Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!

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© Andrea&Magda, The Palestinian Dream
Jan 2013, Rawabi, 20 km from Ramallah. A family is visiting the showroom for the new biggest planned city in West Bank, aimed to host 25000 residents at first and 40000 in the future. A 3D movie, simulating the future life that will offer Rawabi with its smiling residents, is the last part of the tour that aim to advert for potential buyers. During the tour, the commercial agent of Bayti Company insists on the security and privacy that Rawabi will offer to its residents. On the flyer that adverts for Rawabi one can read: “allow us to suggest to you a wonderful way to spend a weekend afternoon this month – put the family in the car and take a drive to see Rawabi showroom”. Just after the end of tour, the visitors will find, next to the model exhibition of the future city, 4 offices of Middle Eastern banks ready to sign the loans.
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© Andrea&Magda, The Palestinian Dream
Jan 2013, Nablus. In the second biggest city in West Bank, real estate and new offices are flourishing. In the Rafida quarter, the Paltel group has just built an office building on the “taxi square” . The economical boom has accelerated since the blockade on the city by the Israeli army was removed in 2009. Before then, Nablus people needed a permit for going out of the city. However, movement is still limited with the presence of the 58 Israeli checkpoints inside the West bank, in addition to the restrictions of access to Jerusalem and Gaza, still affecting heavily the economical development in Palestine.
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© Andrea&Magda, The Palestinian Dream
June 2012, Nearby Ramallah, West Bank. Advertising for a lottery in a Gas station, with a car as a first prize, suburb of Ramallah. Every time they spend 50 Shekel in the gas station, the customers get a ticket for the lottery. In the Rabbit costume, a child of 14 years old is sweating to attract the clients. Ziyad Taleb, the owner of the gas station and 1948 refugee, discovered this marketing technique in Thailand during a holiday trip, and found the idea very clever.
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© Andrea&Magda, The Palestinian Dream
June 2013, Qalandya, Ramallah, West Bank. Behind the fruit vendor, the biggest advertizing sign in the Palestinian territories displays a giant picture of Haifa, a mixed arab-israli city located in Israel, where many refuges are originated from but denied the access by Israel. The advert, for a telecommunication company, targets the few privileged Palestinian who are allowed to cross the check point and to go to Haifa, offering low tariff to call from Israel into West Bank. Most of Palestinian passing in front the advert could feel bitterness, as they have never seen Haifa, since Israel has established a closure policy in the West Bank. Mahmoud, the fruit vendor, has been to Haifa once in 1998, before the separation wall was built. His sons have never been to Israel.
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© Andrea&Magda, The Palestinian Dream
June 2012, Ramallah, West Bank. Mohammad, 16, works for the cleaning company "Wipe and shine" in a new shopping mall in Al Bireh. This year he will pass the high school final exam. In Palestine, cleaning companies are quite a new thing, as the structure of companies is traditionally based on family membership. In the background, the ATM of some of 17 banks existing in Palestine in 2012, of which 7 are Palestinian Banks.
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© Andrea&Magda, The Palestinian Dream
Bethléem, Cisjordanie, 2013
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