Jimmy Carter in conversation at the LBJ Library on February 15, 2011. Photo: U.S. National Archives.

JNS.org – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter believes the recent unity deal between Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party and the terrorist group Hamas is a “positive development.”

“Although condemned by some, the decision by the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas to reconcile their differences and move toward elections can be a positive development,” Carter wrote in an op-ed published by The Washington Post.

Carter has been criticized by many in the Jewish community for his 2006 book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which criticizes Israel’s presence in the West Bank. Carter has also been criticized for meeting with Hamas officials and calling for an end to the blockade of Gaza.

In his op-ed, the former president condemned Israel for continuing to build in the West Bank during the nine months of negotiations with the PA. He wrote that he believes it can be “beneficial” for the Palestinians to become more deeply involved in the U.N., and that the international community, including the U.S. and Israel, should take advantage of these “opportunities.”