WHAT'S A JEWISH REPUBLICAN TO DO?

After Rudy: Jewish GOPers in flux (JTA)
As a recent event with former White House speechwriter David Frum made clear: The implosion of the former New York mayor's once promising bid for the presidency may have hit no constituency harder than Jewish Republicans.Full Story

RUDY ON JEWISH ISSUES

JTA PODCAST: Rudy Speaks (JTA)
In between campaign stops in Florida, Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani talked Monday with JTA about his efforts in the Sunshine State, the religious rhetoric in the GOP race, the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort, changes that he would like to see made in America’s approach to foreign aid and his popularity in the Jewish community.  Full Story

Giuliani: Open to Abbas, but skeptical (JTA)
Rudy Giuliani said that Mahmoud Abbas may have the right intentions toward Israel, but it is unclear if he is capable of following through.

In an interview Monday with JTA, Giuliani laid out four criteria the Palestinians must meet if a peace process is to go forward: declare support for Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, state that they will end terrorism, exercise control over terrorism, and demonstrate their intentions to build an accountable government.

"If all those things are really happening, and we are satisfied that they're really happening, then you have the basis for a peace process," the Republican presidential candidate said, during a day of intense campaigning in Florida. "If not, we should not create expectations that cant be fulfilled, like has happened in the past."

Giuliani said that while the peaceful intentions of Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, appeared to be genuine, it is unclear whether he has the power to deliver.

Some right-leaning Israelis and American Jews who often share Giuliani's hawkish views on the Middle East have been increasingly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and U.S. President George W. Bush's willingness to negotiate with Abbas. But Giuliani expressed confidence in both leaders, saying he holds them in "high personal regard."

"I come from the school of Ronald Reagan, which is trust but verify," Giuliani said. "Trust is one thing, but then lets verify and make sure these things are actually taking place. That's the more important part of it."

HUCKABEE & GIULIANI CHALLENGE RON PAUL ON ISRAEL

What Mike Huckabee Said About Israel (Contentions)
Last night, in debate in South Carolina, Mike Huckabee took out after Ron Paul after the libertarian fringe candidate said, “We support Israel, and we try to have this balance. But I think it would be much better to have a balance by being out of there.”

Here’s what Huckabee said:

I’d like to just, with all due respect, Congressman Paul, the issue of whether the president should be in the Middle East comes to something that I think we’ve got to recognize.

We’ve got one true ally in the Middle East, and that’s Israel. It’s a tiny nation. I’ve been there nine times. I’ve literally traveled from Dan to Beersheba, and I understand something of that nation and the vulnerability of it.

And for us to give the world the impression that we would stand by if it were under attack and simply say, “It’s not our problem,” would be recklessly irresponsible on our part.

And if I were president, you can rest assured that we would not let an ally be annihilated by those enemies which is surround it, who have openly stated it is their direct intention to destroy that nation. It would not happen under my presidency.

Paul, Giuliani debate Israel (JTA)
Republican presidential candidates Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani argued over Israel during a debate.

During the debate on Thursday night, sponsored by Fox News and held in South Carolina, Paul argued that the United States should keep out of the Israeli-Arab conflict and the Middle East in general. At one point he argued that one problem with America's support for Israel is that it ends up robbing Jerusalem of its sovereignty.

"In many ways, we treat Israel as a stepchild. We do not give them the responsibility that they deserve. We undermine their national sovereignty. We don’t let them design their own peace," Paul said. He added: "And I just don’t see any purpose in not treating Israel in an adult fashion. I think they would be a lot better off. I think they, one time in the ’80s, took care of a nuclear reactor in Iraq. I stood up and defended Israel for this. Nobody else did at that time."

Giuliani quickly rejected Paul's argument as "absurd."

"The reality is that Israel is a close and strong ally of the United States," Giuliani said. "America has only a few extremely reliable allies, special relationships. The defense of Israel is a -- critical importance to the United States of America, and it goes much deeper than just tactical things."

CLINTON, GIULIANI LEAD AMONG JEWS

Clinton, Giuliani lead among Jews (JTA)
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Rudy Giuliani come in first and second in approval ratings in a poll of American Jews.

Clinton, the front-runner among Democrats, scored 53 percent in this year’s American Jewish Committee poll. Giuliani, the former New York mayor and a front-runner among Republicans, received a 41 percent favorable rating.

Giuliani was ahead -- albeit within the margin of error of 3 percentage points -- of two other Democratic front-runners, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who tied at 38 percent.

Such a staunch showing for a Republican is unusual in a community that trends strongly Democratic.

Respondents broke down into 58 percent Democrat, 26 percent independent and 15 percent Republican, diverging from the third-third-third breakdown that is the norm in general population polls. The phone survey of 1,000 Jewish Americans was conducted Nov. 6-25.

JEWISH REPUBLICANS BACKING GIULIANI

Jewish GOP donors go for Rudy (JTA)
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is emerging as the clear front-runner among top Republican Jewish activists. Full Story

THE ARABS ARE SCARED OF RUDY - TOO PRO-ISRAEL

Giuliani is Mideast's worst nightmare (Gulf News - Dubai -UAE)
President George W. Bush's approval ratings may be in the doldrums and he's only got just over another year to go, but before we order the celebratory fireworks here's a thought. The next American president could make this one look like a boy scout.

As the months pass, the next election looks like a race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and the former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani for the Republicans. I'm no fan of the coolly calculating Clinton but given the alternative, she's the one I'll be rooting for.

At the same time, I have serious doubts as to whether certain American states are ready for a woman president and although the American voters have shown they're fed up with Republicans they may reluctantly settle for the usual middle-aged white man over a former First Lady, no matter how bright and formidable she may be.

But here's the problem. Whereas post 9-11 Giuliani was generally considered a competent, nice-guy keen to roll up his sleeves in order to put his city to rights, in recent months the mask has come off. In short, Giuliani is no benign patriotic do-gooder. He's a hawkish, sabre-rattling, pro-Israel, nationalistic neocon.

A clue to Giuliani's leanings emerged during the visit of Prince Al Walid Bin Talal to Ground Zero in October 2001. Bearing a $10 million donation for disaster relief, the Saudi prince suggested the US reexamine its Middle East policies and adopt a balanced stance towards Palestinian aspirations. Giuliani's response was to hand back the cheque.

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards has joked President Giuliani would be like President Bush on steroids. Unfortunately, this is no joke.

Giuliani makes no bones about the fact he would use military force to set-back Iran's nuclear programme. In September, he promised to use America's military might to prevent Iran pursuing its nuclear ambitions should he be elected president.

His senior foreign policy adviser Norman Podhoretz has spelled out this message, advising that Iran be bombed with cruise missiles and bunker busters. "None of the alternatives to military action - negotiations, sanctions, provoking an internal insurrection - can possibly work," he told The Daily Telegraph.

Giuliani is talking tough when it comes to Pakistan, too. He recently urged the president to be more aggressive in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden within Pakistan even if such a move would result in alienating the Pakistani government.

On Iraq, Giuliani has been consistently gung ho. He supported the war from the outset, backed the so-called surge and believes American troops should stay in Iraq for the foreseeable future.

And if my worst fears are realised and Giuliani moves into the White House there will be no Palestinian state for the foreseeable future either. He has declared in no uncertain terms his antipathy towards a two-state solution because a Palestinian entity would "support terrorism" and threaten US security.

It's also worth recalling that in 1995, he banned the former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat from attending events held in New York to celebrate the UN's 50th anniversary and ordered his removal from a concert held at the Lincoln Centre. It's not surprising that a panel of eight Israeli experts assembled by the daily Ha'aretz determined Giuliani is the best presidential candidate for Israel.

A recent article on the front page of the New York Times titled "Mid-east hawks help to develop Giuliani's policy" enlightens us as to the former mayor's new best friends. "Mr Giuliani is consulting with, among others, a particularly hawkish group of advisers and neoconservative thinkers," the article reads.

His team, says the article, includes "Norman Podhoretz, a prominent neoconservative who advocates bombing Iran as soon as it is logically possible; Daniel Pipes, the director of the Middle East Forum, who has called for profiling Muslims at airports and scrutinising American Muslims in law enforcement, the military and the diplomatic corps; and Michael Rubin who has written in favour of revoking the United States' ban on assassination".

Giuliani recently took the Democrats to task for avoiding use of the term "Islamic terrorism" during four debates; an omission he describes as taking political correctness to extremes.

PALI TERRORISTS: VOTE HILLARY; KILL RUDY

Terrorists: Vote Hillary; Kill Rudy (FrontPage)
Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is gaining fans, even on the West Bank.

“I hope Hillary is elected in order to have the occasion to carry out all the promises she is giving regarding Iraq,” said Ala Senakreh, West Bank chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a Palestinian terror group. “President Clinton wanted to give the Palestinians 98 percent of the West Bank territories. I hope Hillary will move a step forward and will give the Palestinians all their rights.”

Senakreh and other top Islamo-fascists want Hillary in the Oval Office. These mass murders also have “gone negative.” They want GOP contender Rudy Giuliani dead.

“We see Hillary and other candidates are competing on who will withdraw from Iraq,” said Abu Jihad of Al Aqsa’s Nablus unit. “This is a moment of glory for the revolutionary movements in the Arab world…”

Al Aqsa’s Nasser Abu Aziz, considered it “very good” that there are “voices like Hillary and others who are now attacking the Iraq invasion.”

Islamic Jihad’s Abu Ayman felt “emboldened” by Clinton’s demands that America retreat from Iraq. He said: “It is clear that it is the resistance operations of the mujahideen that have brought about these calls for withdrawal.”

“All Americans must vote Democrat,” insisted Jihad Jaara, an exiled Al Aqsa agent who commanded 2002’s siege of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.

RUDY STRONG ON ISRAEL

Rabbi Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani’s bear hug with Israel makes W's embrace seem tepid by comparison, writes Maureen Dowd. (New York Times)

GIULIANI NAMES 3 MORE JEWISH ADVISORS

Giuliani names 3 more Jews as advisers (JTA)
Rudy Giuliani named three more Jews to his foreign policy adviser team.

Ruth Wedgwood, Michael Rubin and David Frum were among seven additional advisers named Thursday by the former New York mayor's campaign for the Republican presidential candidacy.

Wedgwood, like Giuliani a former federal prosecutor, is a terrorism expert at Johns Hopkins University. Rubin, now an Iran-Iraq specialist the American Enterprise Institute, was employed at the Pentagon at the outset of the Iraq war. Frum is a former speechwriter for President Bush who helped coin the phrase "Axis of Evil."

They join a staunchly neo-conservative team that includes Martin Kramer, an Israeli-American Shi'ism expert who wrote a book several years ago faulting the U.S. Middle East academic community for failing to anticipate the rise of al-Qaeda; Norman Podhoretz, a founder of the neo-conservative movement, who counsels a military strike to stop Iran from developing a nuclear program; Stephen Rosen, a Harvard University national security professor, and Peter Berkowitz, a law professor at George Mason University in Virginia.

MEANWHILE...

Brownback endorses West Bank annexation (JTA)
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), a long-shot candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, reportedly endorsed a plan to extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank.

"This is a realistic proposal and different way forward," Brownback said of a plan proposed by Knesset member Benny Elon of the National Union/National Religious Party, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday. The plan would annex the West Bank to Israel and make Jordan the sole representative of the Palestinians.

Brownback objected to parts of the plan, the Jerusalem Post said, particularly the proposal to dismantle the Palestinian Authority. However, he called the plan "bold, aggressive, clear and workable" and said "land for peace does not work."

Jordan has long rejected proposals that would make it responsible for Palestinians.

WHAT THE DEMOCRATS SAY THEY'LL DO ABOUT IRANIAN NUKES

The Evasive Democrats by James Kirchick (Contentions)
At Wednesday night’s Democratic presidential debate, Tim Russert asked a very simple question of the major candidates, beginning first with Hillary Clinton:

Senator Clinton, in 1981, the Israelis took out a nuclear reactor in Iraq. On September 6, to the best of our information, Israel attacked Syria because there was suspicion that perhaps North Korea had put some nuclear materials in Syria. If Israel concluded that Iran’s nuclear capability threatened Israel’s security, would Israel be justified in launching an attack on Iran?

Any presidential candidate serious about the American-Israel relationship, who also understands the boon to humanity that was Israel’s 1981 Osirak attack, would answer in the affirmative, preferably just “yes.” A bit verbose, Mayor Giuliani’s answer is nonetheless a good example:

Iran is not going to be allowed to build a nuclear power. If they get to a point where they’re going to become a nuclear power, we will prevent them, we will set them back eight to ten years. That is not said as a threat. That should be said as a promise.

Meanwhile, here were Hillary’s responses:

CLINTON: Tim, I think that’s one of those hypotheticals, that is…

RUSSERT: It’s not a hypothetical, Senator.

CLINTON: …better not
addressed at this time.

This back-and-forth went on for several minutes.

Russert then asked the same question of Barack Obama, who, after asking to “back up for a second,” replied:

I think what Mayor Giuliani said was irresponsible, because we have not yet come to that point. We have not tried the other approach.

Next, Russert asked Edwards, who, like Clinton and Obama, simply refused to answer a yes-or-no question with a “yes” or “no.” The essence of his response?

Carrots being, we will help you with your economy if, in fact, you give up your nuclear ambitions. The flip side being, there will be severe economic sanctions if you don’t.

Imposing “severe economic sanctions,” is what the Bush administration has been trying to do for years. This effort has been unsuccessful, of course, thanks to our friends the Chinese and the Russians. Senator Edwards has an excellent record of convincing juries in the South to award his clients millions of dollars; perhaps he’s counting on his effortless charm to work in Beijing and Moscow. Either way, it’s unsettling to witness the Democrats’ abject refusal to answer properly a question of critical importance to American security.

SEE ALSO: All Dems but Clinton oppose Iran measure (JTA)
U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the lone Democratic presidential candidate to support a Senate amendment that described Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity.

The non-binding amendment to the Defense Authorization Act, initiated by U.S. Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Kyl (R-Ariz.), passed Sept. 26 by a vote of 76-22. It said the Revolutionary Guards was responsible for some of the insurgent attacks against U.S.-led forces in Iraq and urged the Bush administration to name the group as a terrorist entity, a designation that would severely restrict the Guards to function in world markets. Bush is believed to be considering such a designation; it would be the first time the label has been applied to a wing of the armed forces of a sovereign nation.

In order to gain an overwhelming majority, Lieberman agreed to remove two paragraphs from the amendment's original language that called for a U.S. policy to "combat, contain and roll back" the Guards inside Iraq and to "support the prudent and calibrated use of instruments of United States national power in Iraq" to do so. Democrats felt that language came too close to endorsing war, even in a non-binding amendment.

The change won the support of Clinton (D-N.Y.), a front-runner in the race for her party's presidential candidacy. Two other Democratic presidential candidates voted against it: Sens. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was absent from the vote, but later said he would have voted against it.

Clinton came under fire at a Sept. 26 debate for her vote from other candidates, including former senators Mike Gravel of Alaska and John Edwards of North Carolina and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

"I have no intention of giving George Bush the authority to take the first step on a road to war with Iran," Edwards said, commending Biden and Dodd for their votes against the amendment.

GIULIANI: INCLUDE ISRAEL IN NATO

Giuliani: Israel should join NATO (JTA)
Rudy Giuliani called for Israel to be included in an expanded NATO. Addressing an Anglo-American friendship group in London, the Republican presidential candidate said Wednesday that NATO should be encouraged to press the global war on terror.

"We should open the organization's membership to any willing state that meets basic standards of good governance, military readiness, global responsibility -- regardless of location," Giuliani said. "I think we should consider countries such as Australia, Singapore, India, Israel, Japan."

Keen to build up foreign alliances ahead of any showdown with arch-foe Iran, Israel has recently stepped up tactical cooperation with NATO.

But both sides say full incorporation is a long way off: Israel, whose defense strategy is predicated on military autonomy, would balk at the requirement that it consult with NATO partners before launching major operations.

GIULIANI: A REALISTIC PEACE

Toward a Realistic Peace by Rudy Giuliani (Foreign Affairs)
America has a clear interest in helping to establish good governance throughout the world. Democracy is a noble ideal, and promoting it abroad is the right long-term goal of U.S. policy. But democracy cannot be achieved rapidly or sustained unless it is built on sound legal, institutional, and cultural foundations. It can only work if people have a reasonable degree of safety and security. Elections are necessary but not sufficient to establish genuine democracy. Aspiring dictators sometimes win elections, and elected leaders sometimes govern badly and threaten their neighbors. History demonstrates that democracy usually follows good governance, not the reverse. U.S. assistance can do much to set nations on the road to democracy, but we must be realistic about how much we can accomplish alone and how long it will take to achieve lasting progress.

The election of Hamas in the Palestinian-controlled territories is a case in point. The problem there is not the lack of statehood but corrupt and unaccountable governance. The Palestinian people need decent governance first, as a prerequisite for statehood. Too much emphasis has been placed on brokering negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians — negotiations that bring up the same issues again and again. It is not in the interest of the United States, at a time when it is being threatened by Islamist terrorists, to assist the creation of another state that will support terrorism. Palestinian statehood will have to be earned through sustained good governance, a clear commitment to fighting terrorism, and a willingness to live in peace with Israel. America’s commitment to Israel’s security is a permanent feature of our foreign policy.

GIULIANI FOREIGN POLICY TEAM FULL OF ISRAEL SUPPORTERS

RUDI GIULIANI HAS JUST ANNOUNCED HIS FOREIGN POLICY TEAM AND IT'S FULL OF ISRAEL SUPPORTERS, ISLAMOFASCIST OPPONENTS, AND JEWS. TAKE THAT RON PAUL!!

RUDY'S WIFE'S EX ALLEGES ANTI-SEMITIC EPITHETS

Rudy's wife's ex alleges anti-Semitic epithets (JTA)
Rudy Giuliani's wife used anti-Semitic epithets against her Jewish ex-husband, according to the ex-husband's claims during a contentious divorce.

Judith and Bruce Nathan split in 1992, after she claimed he assaulted her -- one of numerous alleged physical attacks, according to divorce papers. This week's New York magazine reports that Bruce Nathan countered during divorce proceedings that Judith would call him a "Jew boy" when he said he couldn't afford something.

Bruce Nathan also claimed that his wife physically abused him. Judith Nathan is playing a central role in her husband's campaign to win the Republican nomination for president. Giuliani is a leading contender for Jewish support, partly because of his staunchly pro-Israel record as New York City mayor.

ONE SHOULD TAKE ALLEGATIONS DURING DIVORCE PROCEDINGS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I WOULD ALSO HESITATE TO HOLD RUDY RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING HIS WIFE ALLEGEDLY SAID BEFORE HE MET HER. BY THE WAY, DID YOU SEE THE DEBATE LAST EVENING? RUDY HANDED RON PAUL HIS A--.

3 GOP CONTENDERS WOULD NUKE IRAN TO SAVE ISRAEL

GOP contenders: Nuke threat justifies strike (JTA)
The threat of a nuclear strike against Israel would justify a military strike on Iran, three Republican candidates for president said.

"The tripwire is that if they acquire these weapons and our intelligence tells us that this is a real threat to the State of Israel, to other states in the region," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Thursday evening on MSNBC in the first debate of the 10 candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination. McCain cited a scenario where Iran was ready to hand a nuclear weapon to a terrorist group.

Two candidates, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), were asked what they would do if the Israeli prime minister called to say that Israel was about to strike Iran and wanted American help. Both candidates said they'd say "yes," provided they knew Iran was ready to strike Israel.

"If there is a threat to the existence of the State of Israel, which is by the way I think a potential threat to the existence of the United States, then you have to come to the aid of Israel," Tancredo said.

Giuliani said he would seek to confirm the claim with U.S. intelligence.

"It really depends on what our intelligence says," he said. "The reality is, the use of military force against Iran would be very dangerous, very provocative; the only thing worse would be Iran being a nuclear power."

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."

HAARETZ RATES U.S. PRES. CANDIDATES ON ISRAEL

HAARETZ IS KEEPING A RUNNING RANKING OF U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES BASED ON HOW GOOD THEY ARE FOR ISRAEL. THIS WEEK, RUDY GIULIANI IS RANKED FIRST, BARAK OBAMA IS RANKED LAST.