Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations    

    GAZA, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement in Gaza has slammed on Tuesday the statements of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, after he termed the rockets attacks on Israel as "a big crime."

    Carter, who is visiting in the region, paid a visit to the southern Israeli town of Sderout, which has been a subject for homemade rockets' attacks carried out by Gaza militants. Carter said rockets "are a crime against humanity."

    Dawood Shihab, spokesman for the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza, said in response that "Carter's statement of describing resistance as a crime against humanity is in itself an overthrow on the morals of humanity."

    "Why didn't he (Carter) go to visit the West Bank to see the settlements, the wall and the roadblocks, and why he didn't go to visit Gaza to see how one million and a half Palestinians are slowly killed by the blockade," said Shihab.

    Carter is also determined to visit in Damascus and meet with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal, in spite of Israeli and U.S. opposition.

    "Carter should visit the Israeli jails and see how 12,000 Palestinian prisoners are held in prison for no reason and living in miserable conditions, instead of giving the occupation excuses for its crimes," said Shihab.

    He, meanwhile, slammed Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's visit to Qatar and her meeting with Arab leaders, saying that "this visit is condemned and unaccepted as long as the occupation continues its crimes against our people."