HAMAS-Hey Jimmy That's NOT What We Said

Jimmy Carter returned triumphantly to Jerusalem announcing that Hamas was ready to make peace He carried back from Syria a statement that Hamas might be willing to accept the right of Israel to "live as a neighbor next door in peace."

No sooner did he make that statement Khaled Mashaal the Hamas leader he met with had a different interpretation of the meeting:

FOXNEWS JERUSALEM — Just hours after former President Jimmy Carter trumpeted Hamas' agreement to let Israel "live as a neighbor," the same terrorist leader he met with face-to-face vowed not to recognize the Jewish state.

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal says his militant Islamic group will not recognize Israel but will accept a Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders.

Mashaal says the future Palestinian state must have Jerusalem as its "genuine, sovereign" capital. He did not say whether he meant the eastern, Arab section, or the entire city. He spoke at a news conference Monday in Damascus.

Carter met twice with Mashaal over the weekend.

The former president also said Monday that he would never sit down with Al Qaeda because the terror network has no "redeeming features."

What the foolish former President neglected to mention is that the "redeeming features" of Hamas is they target Jews.

"[Al Qaeda] are not involved in any sort of a fruitful process. They are not recognized by their own people," Carter told FOX News in an interview Monday. "On the other hand, you have to remember Hamas in an honest and open and fair and transparent election were elected the leaders of the Palestinian government

Click here to watch portions of the interview with FOX News' Reena Ninan.

Carter claimed his meetings with Hamas and Syrian leaders weren't meant to circumvent the Bush administration, nor was it an attempt to formally negotiate with Hamas.

"I'm not undermining anything. I'm not negotiating. ... I'm just here representing myself and the Carter Center. No one else," he said. "My decision was just to talk to people who must be involved in the final peace agreement.

"Syria and Hamas will have to be involved in the long term," he said. "And I thought I could at least talk to them and relay their opinions."

When asked whether he'd ever meet with Al Qaeda, Carter replied, "No, of course not."

"I don't see any redeeming features of Al Qaeda at all," he said.

When making a distinction between Usama bin Laden's terror network and Hamas, which has been in power since the 2006 Palestinian elections, Carter said that Israeli citizens backed his talks with Hamas.

Hey Jimbo..show me mainstream Israelis that support talks with Hamas. Last poll I saw showed Israelis didn't support any terrotorial concessions and did not support dealing with Hamas...Are you taking LSD again, or is it the dementia?