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Jimmy Carter meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria last month. (AP)
Last update - 00:00 26/05/2008
Carter says Israel has arsenal of 150 nuclear weapons
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel, Jimmy Carter, U.S. 

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has said Israel holds at least 150 nuclear weapons, the first time a U.S. president has publicly acknowledged Israel's atomic arsenal.

Asked at a news conference at Wales's Hay literary festival on Sunday how a future U.S. president should deal with the Iranian nuclear threat, Carter put the risk in context by listing atomic weapons held globally.

"The U.S. has more more than 12,000 nuclear weapons, the Soviet Union (Russia) has about the same, Great Britain and France have several hundred, and Israel has 150 or more. We have a phalanx of enormous weaponry ... not only of enormous weaponry but of rockets to deliver those missiles on a pinpoint accuracy target," he said, according to a transcript of his remarks.
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Carter also condemned Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip as "one of the greatest human rights crimes now existing on Earth," according to the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Carter said in reference to the situation of Palestinians in Gaza that, "There is no reason to treat these people this way."

The 83-year-old was subjected to criticism on a recent visit to Israel for his meetings with officials from Palestinian militant group Hamas as well as his trip to Syria where he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hamas leader Khaled Meshal.

He has also in the past branded a "crime and an atrocity" the Israeli blockade of Gaza, imposed in response to ongoing rocket attacks launched from the territory.

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      1.   Ignore Carter, he is not correct, just wanting to leave a legacy 11:26  |  J 26/05/08
      2.   go Jimmy! 11:30  |  samos 26/05/08
      3.   carter 11:33  |  w stern 26/05/08
      4.   national disgrace in and out of office 11:38  |  Steve 26/05/08
      5.   Typical Carter 11:39  |  Slibovitz 26/05/08
      6.   Whats the Arab contribution to the Carter center this year? 11:42  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
      7.   Carter should move to Sderot 11:47  |  George 26/05/08
      8.   Reply to W Stern in New York 11:50  |  Johnny Weintraub 26/05/08
      9.   PRESIDENT CARTER IS RIGHT! 11:51  |  JH 26/05/08
      10.   #5 Slibovitz 11:52  |  H 26/05/08
      11.   Typical antisemitic Yanks 11:53  |  English Jew 26/05/08
      12.   I would slightly differ with Jimmy Carter here..... 11:55  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/05/08
      13.   Gaza is the Holocaust in installments 11:57  |  Palestinian in UK 26/05/08
      14.   Any and all problems palestinians have are created by themselves 11:58  |  Johnny 26/05/08
      15.   Carter and nuclear weapons 12:01  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/05/08
      16.   Attention disorder 12:01  |  A mother 26/05/08
      17.   Carter is my hero. Say it like it is. 12:01  |  John 26/05/08
      18.   So, Carter, where`s Egypt`s responsibility in all this? 12:02  |  d.dor 26/05/08
      19.   Israel today is an insult to the dignity of man & the free world 12:02  |  Dutch 26/05/08
      20.   Carter is not affraid of crazy zionists and the lobby. 12:03  |  John 26/05/08
      21.   I fully endorse Carter`s criticisms 12:05  |  Nick Ferriman 26/05/08
      22.   Is Carter going senile, or what is his motivation to lie? 12:07  |  Joe Sittizen 26/05/08
      23.   #9 President Carter is wrong,and you are,too 12:07  |  Hastaroth 26/05/08
      24.   J 12:12  |  TonyL 26/05/08
      25.   Jimmy Carter not the only one 12:14  |  fair person 26/05/08
      26.   Carter 12:15  |  Ma Ha Emet 26/05/08
      27.   Dear UK Pal - why are you guys such racists? 12:16  |  Joe Sittizen 26/05/08
      28.   Palestinians think we are stupid BUT we don`t trust them anymore 12:17  |  murder and moan 26/05/08
      29.   Islamopobists are the new anti-Semites 12:18  |  Nick Ferriman 26/05/08
      30.   Carter peeved and vindictive 12:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/05/08
      31.   re #11 `Typical antisemitic Yanks` 12:23  |  Colin Wright 26/05/08
      32.   Israel owns 150 Nuclear weapons 12:23  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/05/08
      33.   What about Darfur?? 12:30  |  Steven A 26/05/08
      34.   Carter Believes There Is Another "Rights Crime" 12:35  |  Jay A Friedman 26/05/08
      35.   # 5 Slibowitz 12:38  |  Dik 26/05/08
      36.   Mr Carter obviously doesn`t like to let facts intrude 12:38  |  A.J. Myers 26/05/08
      37.   Israel has the votes in Congress to strip him of his citizenship 12:38  |  El-Birawi 26/05/08
      38.   he is not worth talking about but ferriman 12:45  |  yair 26/05/08
      39.   i find ferriman the most hateful person on the site 12:47  |  yair 26/05/08
      40.   Headline should read: "Carter one of the greatest twits on earth" 12:50  |  Aussie Michael 26/05/08
      41.   No Reason, Jimmy? 12:50  |  Jeff Northridge 26/05/08
      42.   jimmy Carter is right 12:55  |  K 26/05/08
      43.   LINTHWAITE considering Carter has no access to intellligence 12:59  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
      44.   carter 13:06  |  j10 26/05/08
      45.   To A Mother/ 16 13:15  |  Anne 26/05/08
      46.   #32 To Chris Linthwaite 13:18  |  Daniela 26/05/08
      47.   Joe Sittizen , Let`s twist things around 13:22  |  Dutch 26/05/08
      48.   HE has so liitle to say about the Islamofascist neigbours 13:23  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
      49.   #21 nick the fairyman and carter but rockets are legal! 13:23  |  victor hardman 26/05/08
      50.   Jimmy Carter US traitor 13:25  |  Hilda 26/05/08
      51.   We All Know which side is Moral 13:25  |  FOX 26/05/08
      52.   #27 Joe Sittizen 13:26  |  George Kaplan 26/05/08
      53.   #43 Peter SM 13:26  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/05/08
      54.   #46 Daniela 13:34  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/05/08
      55.   Money makes the world go `round..... 13:34  |  Uzi 26/05/08
      56.   Who cares what this idiot says 13:35  |  Purple Canary 26/05/08
      57.   Jimmy Carter US traitor and arch antisemite 13:36  |  Hilda 26/05/08
      58.   #6 Peter SM 13:37  |  maoriboy 26/05/08
      59.   EL BIRAWI How come he has been Israel bashing for years? 13:37  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
      60.   Nick Ferriman, frustrated in Bangkok 13:37  |  FOX 26/05/08
      61.   CARTER: The Lebanese refugee camps ARE a hr-violation! 13:38  |  AliciaYasmeen 26/05/08
      62.   OBAMA WILL TALK TO IRAN, CARTER 13:41  |  indrajaya 26/05/08
      63.   Nick Ferriman # 21 Immoral Perhaps, But Illegal? 13:42  |  Jeff Northridge 26/05/08
      64.   #51 Fox 13:42  |  Rachel Stevens 26/05/08
      65.   Carter, an outsider with no insight. 13:44  |  Stephen. 26/05/08
      66.   LINTHWAITE Which part of"current classified"can`t you understand? 13:44  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
      67.   from Ashkelon 13:45  |  Benjamin 26/05/08
      68.   Ferriman babbles on #29 13:46  |  FOX 26/05/08
      69.   What is Jimmy Carter? 13:46  |  Ronnie Wolman 26/05/08
      70.   The difference between Israeli and Iranian nuclear capability 13:49  |  Rafi 26/05/08