Carter threatens chaos for Obama, Trump and US foreign policy

Former US President Jimmy Carter has urged current President Barack Obama to:

• betray another former President - George Bush,
• destroy America's reputation for integrity and trustworthiness and
• thwart President-elect Donald Trump in attempting to resolve the 100 years old conflict between Arabs and Jews.

In an op-ed piece in the New York Times Carter has proffered the following advice to Obama as his eight year term of office is ending:

The simple but vital step this administration must take before its term expires on Jan. 20 is to grant American diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, as 137 countries have already done, and help it achieve full United Nations membership.

The following calamitous consequences for American foreign policy would ensue should Obama accept Carter's irresponsible advice:

1. President Bush's 2003 Roadmap and 13 years of American diplomacy would be trashed.

Endorsed by the United Nations, European Union and Russia and accepted by Israel (with14 reservations) and the then Palestinian Authority (since disbanded on 3 January 2013) - the Roadmap provides for:

A settlement, negotiated between the parties,"that "will result in the emergence of an independent, democratic, and viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbors

2. Obama would break Bush's following written commitmentmade to Israel on 14 April 2004:

The United States remains committed to my vision and to its implementation as described in the roadmap. The United States will do its utmost to prevent any attempt by anyone to impose any other plan.

3. Any such State would not be "democratic" - its current "President" now being in the 11th year of a four year term - whilst two separate claimants - the PLO and Hamas - engage in a bitter internecine struggle to become the recognised Government of the Palestinian Arabs despite elections not having been held to legitimise the authority of either since 2007.

4. Carter's following call in May 2015 will remain unimplemented and a distant pipe dream: