Italy wants terrorist Abu Abbas, but the Palestinians demand he be freed. The Palestinians say the 1995 Middle East peace deal signed by—who else?—Bill Clinton exempts PLO members from prosecution for crimes committed before 1993. Thanks Bill.
Italy wants Abbas because the hijacked cruise ship Achille Lauro was Italian. After the ship was hijacked, Egypt gave free passage to the terrorists in exchange for the rest of the hostages. But the US Navy intercepted the plane carrying them to Tunisia and forced it to land in Italy. Most of the terrorists were sentenced to long prison terms, but Italy let Abbas go because they had insufficient evidence to hold him. They later convicted him in absentia.
What would I do if I were George W. Bush? I’d tell the Palestinians that when they start living up to the peace accords by stopping the suicide bombings, we’ll think about handing over their terrorist leaders. And I’d tell Italy that since they let Abbas get away the first time, they can have him when we’re done with him. And then Abbas would get nice vacation in Guatanamo Bay, after which he’d be flown to the US for a public trial, allowing the Klinghoffer family to get a measure of justice.
