In a terse message on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent the Israeli government’s condolences over former US president Jimmy Carter’s death to the American people and the Carter family.
“We will always remember President Carter’s role in forging the first Arab-Israeli peace treaty signed by Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, a peace treaty that has held for nearly half a century and offers hope for future generations,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
The brevity of the post underscored the tensions between Jerusalem and the former US president who later in life became a fierce critic of Israel and accused the country of imposing apartheid on the Palestinians.
Netanyahu pointedly did not meet with Carter during the former president’s 2015 trip to Israel.
President Isaac Herzog also sent condolences focusing on Carter’s efforts to mediate the peace deal between Israel and Egypt in 1978, the first between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors.
“In recent years I had the pleasure of calling him and thanking him for his historic efforts to bring together two great leaders, Begin and Sadat, and forging a peace between Israel and Egypt that remains an anchor of stability throughout the Middle East and North Africa many decades later,” Herzog said of the 1978 Camp David Accords.
In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 photo, former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, background right, looks at former US president, Jimmy Carter, center, while visiting a weekly protest in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
“His legacy will be defined by his deep commitment to forging peace between nations. On behalf of the Israeli people, I send my condolences to his family, his loved ones, and to the American people.”
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also hailed Carter for his role in the accords, calling him a “symbol of humanitarian efforts.”
“His significant role in achieving the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel will remain etched in the annals of history, and his humanitarian work exemplifies a lofty standard of love, peace, and brotherhood,” the Egyptian leader says in a post on X.
Following the 1978 agreements, Carter witnessed the signing of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty at the White House on March 26, 1979.
US President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world had lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he had lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections and house the homeless as an example for others.
“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement.
Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Menachem Begin as President Jimmy Carter watches at Camp David, Md., in September 1978, during talks aimed at laying the groundwork for a permanent Middle East peace. (AP Photo, File)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Carter would always be remembered for his role in the Camp David Accords and that “it was that lifelong dedication to peace that saw him receive the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad,” Starmer wrote in a statement on Monday.
FILE – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, US President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands at the White House in Washington after signing the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, March 26, 1979. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also hailed Carter’s role as a mediator in the Middle East.
“We join our American friends in mourning the loss of their former President Jimmy Carter,” Scholz posted on X on Monday.
“The US has lost a committed fighter for democracy. The world has lost a great mediator for peace in the Middle East and for human rights.”
In Panama, where Carter reached an agreement to hand over the Panama Canal, then under US control, President Jose Mulino praised the Democrat for helping his country achieve “full sovereignty.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said Carter had “been a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and has tirelessly fought for peace.”
In China, where Carter’s administration made the decision to establish formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing, the foreign ministry hailed his “important contributions.”
The longest-lived American president, who died on Sunday at the age of 100, spent roughly 22 months on hospice care in his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalyn, spent most of their lives, the Carter Center said.
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