A friend reminds me of two key points regarding Gaza, which Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson, and their like-minded Israel bashers routinely ignore. First, Israel doesn’t surround Gaza. Why no anger directed against Egypt? If, as Carter asserts, all sorts of basic supplies are not getting into Gaza, why isn’t the border between those two countries the route of choice? It is only the Jewish state — the victim of Gaza violence — that is hounded to open the border.

Second, there seems to be no recognition of the progress on the ground in the West Bank. Fewer checkpoints and more economic development — both the result of Israel’s willingness to cooperate with and assist Palestinians in improving their daily lives — entirely escapes Carter’s and the administration’s notice.

One can’t help but conclude that the object here is not to improve the actual condition of Palestinians but to paint Israel as the villain. Carter’s been at that for some time now. Let’s hope the administration breaks the habit before more damage is done to our relationship with Israel.