In the first glimpse of him since his capture more than three years ago, a thin but healthy-looking Israeli soldier said in a video released Friday that he is being treated well by his Palestinian captors and appealed to Israel’s leader to bring him home.

Jimmy Carter wants the U.S. to drop Hamas from its list of terrorist organizations. His persistent scolding of Israel suggests he would prefer that the Jewish state be added to it. The Camp David Accords, which provided the framework for the peace between Israel and Egypt, stand as Carter’s signal accomplishment in foreign policy. Carter shares credit for the happy outcome, but the negotiations between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat commenced in large part because of a Carter mistake. In Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East, Dennis Ross and David Makovsky explain:

Over the weekend Israel announced a unilateral cease-fire. Hamas initially maintained it would continue its attacks, then switched gears and said it would suspend them for a few days. Few observers hold out much hope that the cease-fire will last long, and for good reason: As Hamas leader Khaled Meshal said not long ago, a cease-fire is merely “a tactic in conducting the struggle [against Israel]. Hamas is known for that.“ Hamas might have switched tactics, but it has not changed its ultimate goal one iota. It still lusts for Israel’s annihilation.

Last week the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution endorsing a cease-fire in Gaza. The content was one-sided, as usual. It did not call on Hamas to halt its rocket attacks against Israeli civilians as a condition for the suspension of Israel’s anti-terror offensive. Despite assurances that it would oppose statements that failed adequately to censure Hamas, the U.S. abstained on the motion. By not exercising its veto, the U.S. allowed the resolution to pass 14-0.

Another Israel-Arab war has erupted and again Western supporters of both sides have divided into predictable camps. Israel supporters cite the indisputable fact that missiles launched from Hamas-controlled Gaza have been slamming into Israeli towns at increasing distances and with increasing accuracy. Palestine supporters cite the continuing siege of the Gaza Strip, which is dependent on Israel for electricity, fuel, and even basic foods.

If there is anything more dispiriting than the monomania of terrorists bent on the destruction of Israel, it is the perspective of those in the West who behave as though some moral equivalence existed between the two sides.