Former U.S. president and international peace activist Jimmy Carter co-authored an op-ed along condemning Israel's military actions in Gaza as war crimes and urging the United States to recognize Hamas as a legitimate political force.
The piece, published Tuesday in the Guardian, was written along with Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland. Both Carter and Robinson are members of The Elders, an international non-governmental organization formed in 2007 by the late Nelson Mandela comprised of elder statesmen, peace activists, and humanitarian advocates who describe themselves as "independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights."
In the op-ed, Carter and Robinson condemn Israel's conduct:
"There is no humane or legal justification for how the Israeli Defence Force is conducting this war, pulverising with bombs, missiles and artillery large parts of Gaza, including thousands of homes, schools and hospitals, displacing families and killing Palestinian non-combatants. Much of Gaza has lost its access to water and electricity completely. This is a humanitarian catastrophe."
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