Jimmy Carter: “I'm very proud of this.”

We look on human rights as an ability to live in peace. And to believe that your future will be better than your past might be.

But inside Palestine, outside of Israel, where the Israelis occupying forces are there, the persecution and deprivation of the Palestinians is horrendous.

This is a very wise and very courageous thing for President Obama to do. And in my opinion, is long overdue.

I think that sends a clear signal to Maliki that we won't be there indefinitely and my hope is that they'll be a commitment by the world community including the controversial nations of Syria and Iran.