Abuser or Abusee?

I find this very interesting:

The WP and LAT note that former president Jimmy Carter is "getting the cold shoulder" (WP) in Israel. None of Israel's top officials will meet with him, and Israel's security service will not protect him. Israeli officials are unhappy that Carter said he would meet with the leader of Hamas, and for his book in which he sharply criticized Israel. "A meeting like this gives some semblance of legitimacy to those who do not deserve it," one Israeli official said. "The book doesn't help him, either."

Does anyone really think that Jimmy Carter would sell out Israel? Is it such a crime to take an even-handed look at the ongoing conflicts between two peoples who can't seem to get beyond revenge? And what harm is there in talking? I have yet to hear an cogent argument on why there should not be negotiations between any two adversarial parties. Israel is behaving poorly and showing it's intransigence.