RUDY GIULIANI ON ISRAEL, TERRORISM, ABBAS AND HAMAS

"Hamas or Abbas, It Makes No Difference," Rudy Giuliani Says, No Israeli Concessions until the Arabs Stop Terrorism (The Jewish Voice)
Rudy Giuliani doesn’t care whether the Palestinian government is run by Hamas, which is recognized by the US as a terrorist organization, or Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of Fatah who is regarded by the Bush administration as a moderate. "Hamas or Abbas, it makes no difference.

The ball is in their court, and we just have to show patience and not push any peace process until they do what they have to do," said Mr. Giuliani. What they have to do, he said, is, at the very minimum, to recognize Israel’s right to exist and to renounce terrorism. Then, he said, Israel and the US should sit back and see if they mean it.

"They don’t just have to say the words. Anyone can say the words. They have to show that they are ending terrorism; they have to show that they are doing what they have to do to end terrorism. I’m a strong proponent of the philosophy that we can trust, but we have to verify," he said. "If all that happens, then it will lead naturally to a peace process, but we have to wait patiently until they are ready to make it happen. And no one should make any concessions to the Palestinians until they take those steps." ....

Mr. Giuliani told his supporters he was running for President because he believes he understands terrorism better than any other candidate currently running to hold the office. He pointed out that, as far as he is concerned, Islamist terrorism against the West began in 1972 at the Munich Olympics when Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and murdered 11 Israeli athletes.

He said he remembered being appalled when the German authorities, who had arrested some of the terrorists, quickly released them. "They let them go because they were afraid if they did not, there would be more terrorist attacks in Germany," he said, pointing out that many European countries followed Germany’s example.

He found it especially galling, he said, when Italian authorities released the murderers of Leon Klinghoffer, the 69-year-old disabled New Yorker who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists who had hijacked the Achille Lauro cruise ship in 1985. "The Italians captured the terrorists and then released them two hours later, because they were afraid," said Mr. Giuliani. As a US Attorney in the Reagan administration, Mr. Giuliani investigated the Klinghoffer case, and, he said, he became convinced that Yasir Arafat personally was responsible for the murder.

Ten years later, as mayor of New York, Mr. Giuliani threw Mr. Arafat out of a concert he was hosting at Lincoln Center for world leaders who were in Manhattan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UN. "I didn’t forget what he had done to Leon Klinghoffer," said Mr. Giuliani.

He called the concessions Israel was forced to make as part of the Oslo process before the Palestinians fulfilled any of their requirements, "mistakes." "The US pushed Israel to make concessions, and it didn’t matter that the Palestinians did nothing to live up to their end of the bargain. This was wrong and we should never do it again," he said.

He maintained that, since 9-11, the vast majority of Americans feel an increased kinship with Israel.

"We must never be on the defense against terrorism. Never again. We must always be on the offense, never acquiescing, always doing what we have to do to keep our country safe and strong," he said. .... Asked for his views on Iran and Iraq, he said his primary policy is that "you don’t make concessions to people who are trying to kill you."