|
Hillary vows to back israel on latest conflict { July 18 2006 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/nyregion/18hillary.html?_r=1&oref=sloginhttp://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/nyregion/18hillary.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
July 18, 2006
Clinton Vows to Back Israel in Latest Mideast Conflict
By PATRICK HEALY
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that she supported “whatever steps are necessary” to defend Israel against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and Syria in the military conflict in the Middle East.
Addressing a crowd of several thousand in Midtown at an impassioned rally for Israel, she said America must show “solidarity and support” for Israel in the face of the “unwarranted, unprovoked” seizure of three Israeli soldiers by members of Hamas and Hezbollah, which she described as among “the new totalitarians of the 21st century.”
“We will stand with Israel because Israel is standing for American values as well as Israeli ones,” said Mrs. Clinton, who joined two dozen political and religious leaders on a stage a few blocks from the United Nations headquarters on the East Side.
Bringing the threat home, she compared Israel’s military response, which has included heavy bombardment of Lebanon, to a theoretical response by the United States if it faced attacks from neighboring countries. “I want us here in New York to imagine, if extremist terrorists were launching rocket attacks across the Mexican or Canadian border, would we stand by or would we defend America against these attacks from extremists?” she said to roars of approval.
Mrs. Clinton and the other speakers focused almost exclusively on Israel’s right to act militarily and unilaterally, and the speeches were fiery and resolute, with little mention of civilians in Lebanon and Gaza who have been injured in the fighting.
And that message was exactly what several participants in the rally wanted to hear, they said, especially from Mrs. Clinton, who, as the first lady, stirred suspicion among some Jews that her devotion to Israel was less than absolute. During her 2000 Senate campaign, she was criticized for supporting a Palestinian state before that became United States policy, and for kissing Yasir Arafat’s wife, Suha.
“I thought her remarks were very good, especially in light of her history, and we can’t forget her kiss to Suha,” said Helen Freedman, executive director of Americans for a Safe Israel, who attended the rally.
America will support Israel, Mrs. Clinton said, in “her efforts to send a message to Hamas, Hezbollah, to the Syrians, to the Iranians — to all who seek death and domination instead of life and freedom — that we will not permit this to happen and we will take whatever steps are necessary.”
“It is a message that we want not only those in the Middle East to hear, but the world, because no nation is safe from these terrorist extremists,” she said. “They do not believe in human rights, they do not believe in democracy. They are totalitarians, they are the new totalitarians of the 21st century.”
Representative Anthony D. Weiner, one of several members of Congress to address the rally, criticized “our feckless friends in Europe” for emphasizing nuance and ambiguity over resolve, and praised the White House for its strong support of the Israeli government.
“President Bush has been wrong about a lot of things,” Mr. Weiner said, but “he’s right about this — the United States stands with Israel.”
Two Democratic rivals in the race for state attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo and Mark Green, each took the stage to declare allegiance to Israel. Mr. Green showed up far earlier than Mr. Cuomo, but he had to wait in the wilting heat to speak after him because the speakers were called in alphabetical order.
Mr. Cuomo said that New Yorkers stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Israelis, while Mr. Green said of the three Israeli soldiers who have been captured, “They are our soldiers also, they are our sons also.”
Among the few Republicans on the stage was Representative Vito J. Fossella, who directed part of his comments at member countries of the United Nations that in his view are not moving aggressively to defeat terrorist groups.
“Wake up!” he shouted in the direction, roughly, of the United Nations headquarters. “They should be seeking to eliminate them, not to pacify them.”
At a separate event yesterday, Mrs. Clinton also won support from another onetime critic-turned-ally, Rupert Murdoch, the owner of The New York Post, who was the host of a political fund-raiser for her in New York City.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
|
|
