Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who often has been described as the most pro-Israel candidate to replace American President George W. Bush, has slammed leader for "coddling terrorists."

He wrote in a mass e-mail campaign for money, "As a longtime friend and staunch supporter of Israel during my entire public life, I want to share with you my deep concern for the Jewish state.... In the 1990s, we had the blinders on with regard to Islamic terrorism. Coddling terrorists [and] even applauding for winning the Nobel Peace prize as was done with Yasser Arafat is a policy we cannot return to."

He added, "I stand by Israel and I will never embrace a terrorist like Arafat, a tyrant like Ahmadinejad, or a party like Hamas."