Rudy's Fopo

No Palestinian State Now
(You Can't Be Bush and Run From Bush At the Same Time)
Politics
Giuliani: No Palestinian State Now, The Associated Press
2007-08-15 13:16:58.0
Current rank: # 430 of 5,494

WASHINGTON -
Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said he opposes creation of a Palestinian state at this time and would take a tough stand with Iran, including destroying its nuclear infrastructure "should all else fail."

Outlining his foreign policy views in the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, Giuliani said "too much emphasis" has been placed on brokering negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians - an apparent swipe at President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who have been pushing both sides for final status negotiations despite Hamas's takeover of Gaza in June.

"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," the former New York City mayor said.

"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," Giuliani said. "America's commitment to Israel's security is a permanent feature of our foreign policy."

Giuliani said in the article that he would not rule out negotiating with Iran, but such negotiations should proceed from "a position of strength."

"The theocrats ruling Iran need to understand that we can wield the stick as well as the carrot, by undermining popular support for their regime, damaging the Iranian economy, weakening Iran's military, and, should all else fail, destroying its nuclear infrastructure," Giuliani said.

Bush recently warned Iran of "consequences" if Iran is determined to be assisting the flow of explosive devices into Iraq.

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This strong statement by Rudy is direct and to the point right? Almost. This article which appears, on the surface to reveal a strong pro-Israel position is in actuality much weaker upon reflection. Based solely upon the quotes in the article above, these lines caught my attention:

"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," the former New York City mayor said.

"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," Giuliani said.

Realistically, how is this different than the Bush administration's position? W. and Condi staked a position which calls for an end to the conflict and no violence. The administration's operating philosophy can be characterized as... the spread of democracy will negate terrorism and support for terrorism. Hamas of course, has proven this position doesn't apply to Arabia.

Does anyone think that Bush, viewed by many (but not all) as a pro-Israel President wants to create a PLO state which, depending on who is running it will invite Al-Qadea to execute operations out of Gaza or turn a blind eye to lawlessness so long as the ruling elite is able to deposit large sums of cash in overseas accounts? Hardly.

The following is an excerpt from a February 2007 article written by Morton Zuckerman which ran in the Jewish Press and appears on the ZOA website:

Bush called for the Palestinians to elect new leaders "not compromised by terror." But instead the Palestinians voted in the terrorist group Hamas. Bush called for Palestinian Arabs to "engage in a sustained fight against the terrorists and dismantle their infrastructure." But the PA has not jailed and disarmed terrorists, confiscated their weaponry or closed the bomb-making factories. The terrorist killings go on.


Bush also called for ending "incitement to violence in official media, and [to] publicly denounce homicide bombings." But incitement and glorification of terror continue unabated in the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps. In fact, PA president Mahmoud Abbas recently called at a rally of 250,000 Palestinians for Palestinian groups to turn their guns on Israelis, saying, "Our rifles, all our rifles are aimed at the Occupation."


In the PA, schools, streets and sports teams are named in honor of suicide bombers and other mass-murderers of Israelis while in PA maps and atlases, a country called "Israel" is nowhere to be found. Instead, "Palestine" appears in is place.


Bush called on "Palestinians to build a practicing democracy, based on tolerance and liberty." But in PA-run areas Christians are persecuted, Jewish holy sites desecrated, women remain second-class citizens and liberty is as remote as ever.


It's clear the Palestinians have not fulfilled a single one of President Bush's conditions for statehood. Moreover, whether ruled by Abbas's Fatah or by Hamas, the PA remains a terrorist regime.

Well, it is nice to see that Rudy supports the Bush position. The original article from Foreign Affairs, entitled Toward a Realistic Peace is here.

Fred Thompson, to the best of my recollection has not staked a specific position on a "pali" state but his views on the conflict in general are found here Terrorized. Thompson did co-sign a 2001 Senate letter to the President calling for a reassessment of US-Palestinian relations.