Lebanese press reports over the weekend indicate that former US President Jimmy Carter is expected to meet with leading officials from Hizbullah over the course of the summer.  This visit would come on the heels of Carter’s visit to Damascus two months ago, in which he met with the head of the Hamas terrorist organization’s political wing, Khaled Mashaal.

Carter has received criticism in both Israel and the United States for these contacts with Hamas terrorist figures. He has been a vocal critic of Israel, especially in terms of counterterrorism policies, in recent years. Carter also broke with longstanding US policy by laying a wreath on Arafat's grave in April 2008.