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Specter: U.S. should try two Palestinians in Israeli custody
Editor's Note: CNN Access is a regular feature on CNN.com providing interviews with newsmakers from around the world. (CNN) -- Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania is trying to extradite two Palestinians who have been convicted of terrorist activity in Israel to face trial, and possibly the death penalty, in the United States. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer discussed the complexities of the case Sunday with Specter on "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." The following is a transcript of the conversation: BLITZER: Let's get right to this initiative that you're trying to achieve to try to bring at least two convicted Palestinian terrorists, who are being held in Israel by the Israeli authorities, here to the United States. What's behind this? SPECTER: Wolf, United States citizens are being murdered by Palestinian terrorists when our citizens are in Israel. And we have authority under the Terrorist Prosecution Act of 1986, extra- territorial jurisdiction, to prosecute those terrorists in United States courts for murder in the first degree and get the death penalty. And I have been talking to Israeli Attorney General [Elyakim] Rubinstein and also to United States Attorney General John Ashcroft to try to set this in motion. And both of those attorneys general are interested. And I think it would be very salutary, really be very emphatic, and the United States would be helping Israel in Israel's war on terrorism. And we would be vindicating a very important United States interest when our citizens are being murdered abroad by Palestinian terrorists. BLITZER: In the letter you wrote to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, you say this, among other things. You say, "It would be a significant step forward if the United States tried, convicted and imposed the death penalty in a U.S. court on a Palestinian terrorist who has murdered Americans in Israel." Is it your concern that in Israel, they don't have the death penalty, with the exception of genocide [cases]? Is that why you want to bring [terrorists] to the United States for trial? SPECTER: Well, that's true. One of these terrorists is in Israel at the present time serving a sentence, but they do not have the death penalty. And Israeli Attorney General Rubinstein raised a question with me about their willingness to extradite, but there is an exception under Israeli law if Israeli national security is involved. And you talk about terrorism, the terrorists are trying to destroy Israel. I think it is a national security matter. And that's why I'm taking the matter directly to Prime Minister Sharon to try to get the backing of the Israeli government. BLITZER: Do you have any indication that the prime minister is ready to extradite these two Palestinians to the United States? SPECTER: Well, I talked to Prime Minister Sharon about this when I was in Israel a few months ago. I've talked to other Israeli officials about it, and they are interested in it. There is sort of an attitude, Wolf, that they've got a lot of other problems, and also an attitude that they'd like to take care of their own problems with the terrorists. But when I point out that we have the death penalty, and they don't, they have to concede that the death penalty is obviously a lot more effective. And then I press the point that we have a separate U.S. interest. We want to help the Israelis fight terrorism, but these are U.S. citizens being murdered. And we have an interest in bringing those murderers to justice. BLITZER: I'll get to the specific cases in a moment, Senator Specter, but let's just recap. Did the attorney general, John Ashcroft, give you a hard-and-fast yes when you asked him, if the Israelis extradite these two convicted terrorists, would the U.S. Justice Department prosecute them? What was his response? SPECTER: His response was that he would like to see it done, and he then ordered his subordinates to meet with me, which I have done, with the people who are really on the nuts-and-bolts level. As you know, Wolf, I used to be district attorney of Philadelphia, [Pennsylvania], so that when I go over a case and review the evidence, I've had the professional background to make an evaluation of the cases. And Attorney General Ashcroft told me that he was interested in doing this, and that we ought to pursue it and take up the specifics. And I told him that I would be working with the Israeli authorities to try to get the people here. By the way, Wolf, one of these individuals is in Chicago [Illinois]. He had been arrested in Israel for providing funds to Hamas back in 1993. [He] was convicted in Israel and then served a sentence and came to Chicago. And he's now under investigation in Chicago. And the United States attorney in Chicago -- [Patrick] Fitzgerald -- and I have talked. He has some concerns about whether the individual is closely enough connected to the murders. But I believe, and I think this is a message that ought to go out loud and clear, that anyone who contribute to Hamas or any other terrorist organization which is engaged in murdering Americans, those individuals are liable as aiders and abetters for murder in the first degree. So, this is a matter which has a fair number of legal complexities, but I believe we can move through all of them and convict these people in the United States and impose the death penalty. BLITZER: One of those Palestinians you want extradited to the United States is a man named Hassam Salameh. He was involved in the bus bombing in Jerusalem on February 25, 1996. Among those killed, three United States citizens: Sarah Drucker, Stuart Eisenfeld and Ira Weinstein. What else can you tell us about this individual? SPECTER: Well, I can tell you that he appeared on television, and he and bragged about the killings, proud of it. His television statement is a confession, so that it makes it relatively direct to show that he is the perpetrator and behind the murderers and involved. You don't have any question as to whether he was subjected to any unusual questioning or any inappropriate interrogation tactics. And he killed three American citizens. And he is in custody in Israel. I don't see any reason in the world why that man ought not to be brought back to the United States and tried in a U.S. court where he can get the death penalty. BLITZER: Earlier today, the Israelis had another what they call "targeted killings," an assassination of a Hamas leader on the West Bank. And that resulted in a rebuke from Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is attending this conference in Jordan. Do you have a problem with Israel's policy of targeted killings? SPECTER: I do not, Wolf, when they are carrying out those policies as a preventative measure. What you really have here is evidence, as the Israelis represented -- and I think they are representing it accurately -- that these Hamas individuals are planning to murder Israeli citizens and, perhaps, Americans and others in the process. And I believe that that's what I classify -- and I've spoken on the Senate floor about this -- as a nonjudicial determination of guilt, and it's a preventative action. Look here, we're not in the old days. We are now facing terrorists who strike secretly, without warning, killing massive numbers of people. And in this context, I believe preventative action is entirely appropriate. And targeted killings are going after people where there is reason to believe they're going to be trying to murder Israelis and others. BLITZER: Senator Specter, we have to leave it right there. Thanks for joining us. SPECTER: Always a pleasure, Wolf. Thank you.
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