Clash Over Middle East
The candidates, frequently interrupting each other while carrying on the most animated faceoff of their campaign, also clashed on the Middle East, always a sensitive topic in New York politics.
Mrs. Clinton, asked about the possibility of Palestinian statehood — which she called for in 1998 — said a unilateral declaration by the Palestinian Authority would be “absolutely unacceptable.”
“I have also said clearly that there should be no unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, and that the [U.S. Embassy in Israel] should be moved to Jerusalem,” she added.
But Lazio quickly criticized Mrs. Clinton for taking $51,000 in campaign contributions from Arab-Americans who have backed the Palestinian group Hamas, although the first lady has since returned the money.
“You send a message out to the world and the Palestinian Authority that encourages violence,” Lazio said.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Oct. 18 showed Mrs. Clinton leading Lazio among New York’s traditionally Democratic Jewish community, 60 percent to 30 percent — a solid lead, but a lower percentage of support than other Democrats have received in recent state-wide races.
Mrs. Clinton has struggled to firm up support for a number of reasons, including her call for a Palestinian state, and her public embrace of Arafat’s wife, Suha Arafat, while visiting the Middle East last fall.
Lazio referred to the embrace in today’s debate, saying it made Mrs. Clinton’s current pro-Israel stance “very difficult to accept.”