WASHINGTON – In an unique interview with CBN News, former President Jimmy Carter says the choice by the United States to maneuver the United States embassy to Jerusalem was the improper one.
“I think it was a very bad move,” Carter tells CBN’s Faith Nation hosts Jenna Browder and David Brody. “I think it’s going to set back the prospect of a two state solution.”
Carter’s stance isn’t shocking contemplating he has handled previous accusations of being anti-Israel and a supporter of the terrorist group Hamas, a cost he rejected through the interview.
“I don’t have any support for Hamas,” Carter says. “I have support for the Palestinians in general…the top priority in my international life has been to bring peace to Israel and its neighbors. I think the only way to do it is to treat the Palestinians fairly and let them have their own state alongside Israel.”
Former President Carter is giving the graduation handle at Liberty University this weekend. CBN News was one of two media retailers he selected to do an interview with earlier than the occasion. The former president weighed in on a myriad of points, together with what recommendation he would give President Trump concerning his upcoming historic assembly with North Korea’s chief Kim Jong-un.
“Treat them with respect,” he says. “Don’t have any prerequisite on what they should agree to do and be willing to accommodate their basic requests...I think they’re willing to give up their nuclear program completely if we will reach out to them halfway.”
Carter additionally gave some credit score to President Trump. “I think his pressure on them economically has been a beneficial factor.”
The former president additionally acknowledged that, whereas he disagrees with President Trump on lots of his insurance policies, he has lived as much as his phrase. “Well I think he’s shown a very strong presidency which is admired by many people,” Carter says. “He’s kept his campaign promises better than I anticipated.”
This weekend at Liberty University, President Carter will observe within the footsteps of President Trump, who gave the graduation speech final 12 months. Liberty is the biggest evangelical college on the earth and for President Carter, who nonetheless calls himself an evangelical, this might be an alternative to evangelise unity at a time when evangelicals are coping with division.
“I’m going to talk to them about the need for all Christians to work together in harmony and to forget about political differences and to pursue the principles of Jesus Christ,” the previous president tells CBN News.
Carter, who nonetheless teaches Sunday School in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, plans to convey some biblical educating to the graduates too.
“God gives us life and freedom and a chance to live a successful life as measured by God and that we should be reaching out to people with whom we disagree with love and care and respect and not hold grudges against other people and that we should follow the mandates that were laid down by Jesus Christ, who is the prince of peace.”
When Carter was president within the late 1970’s, he was unofficially thought of the primary ‘evangelical president.’ But then alongside got here Ronald Reagan and evangelicals flocked to him in droves. Carter tells CBN News that the exodus really started throughout his administration.
“The process began when I was in the White House because some of the things I did was looked upon by some of the evangelicals as not proper,” the previous president admits. “The main thing was when we signed a peace treaty that let control of the Panama Canal leave us. They didn’t like the fact that I normalized diplomatic relations with communist China at that time and I did some other things concerning strict separation of church and state. Some evangelicals disagreed with me and they went to the Republican Party and that’s been a fairly substantial move. I think we have just as many evangelicals who are not Republicans as we do Republicans that are in the nation.”
On a lighter notice, the interview with the previous president wouldn’t be full with out asking him a query on the finish in regards to the present burning Internet sensation: Laurel vs Yanni? “Well my wife and I have seen that and both of us say, ‘Laurel.’”