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Giuliani and Israel

By Philip Klein on 4.26.07 @ 8:50AM

Via the NY Sun, I see this story from the Jewish Voice and Opinion which quotes Rudy Giuliani talking about Israel at a recent fundraiser:

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 Israelï'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."

It shouldn't be any surprise, given his history, that Giuliani is staking out the most pro-Israel position of any presidential candidate in either party. This is pretty much the classic Likud position, and will rankle those who argue the U.S. should be more engaged in negotiations between the Israelis and "moderate" Palestinian leaders. As I have written before: "To the delight of some and anger of others, President Bush has probably been the most pro-Israel president in U.S. history. But compared to a President Giuliani, Bush would look like Jimmy Carter."

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