Jimmy Carter Apologizes to Israel!?!? Another Festivus Miracle!

Here is a story I never expected to be reading:

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has apologized to the American Jewish community for ‘stigmatizing Israel’ and asked for forgiveness for his actions, the JTA reported on Monday.

“We must recognize Israel’s achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel,” Carter wrote in a letter to the JTA.

“As I would have noted at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so,” Carter wrote, referring to the prayer said on Yom Kippur in which Jews ask God for forgiveness for any sins.

As you know I’m a big fan of confession, but I’ve never expected this one.

Who says miracles can’t happen on this magic day of Festivus?

I guess he wanted to preempt the traditional airing of grievances but I as said last year, I have teenagers, every day is for the airing of grievances.

Happy Festivus to all who celebrate it and have a nice day to everyone else.

Update: I’m no expect of Jewish Theology but I know a bit about Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. I’m a bit bothered by the reactions on this thread where I found the Carter story. Remember the rules:

I would remind all Christians of this little prayer that you likely pray every day:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. Matt 6:9-13 emphasis mine

The next two verses are even more blunt:

If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Matt 6:14,15

Every time you say the Our Father (of you prefer the term The Lord’s Prayer) and you choose not to forgive you are condemning yourself. Christ was very explicit here. He meant to be. This is not an optional doctrine. These are the rules.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, the presence of one’s enemies will not make hell any more bearable.

Update 2: Speaking of grievances…

Isn’t that nice. Oh, in a not-at-all related story, Jimmy Carter’s grandson is running for Congress {incorrect see update 3 DTG} in a Georgia district that has a significant (at least for Georgia) Jewish population.

“Hey, I am really sorry for all that anti-Israel stuff I have been doing for years and years. I am also really sorry that I left that Holocaust thing out of my book on Israel and all the other things. Yeah, really sorry about that. Have you met my Grandson Jason, he is running for Congress and he really likes Jews.”

That gives an interesting twist to the story.

Update 3: Jumping in Pools says he is running for state senate rather than congress, Creative Minority report’s point remains. My thanks for the heads up and the correction. He did however leave his comment informing me of this at this post on St. Joseph instead of here.