Hillary Clinton has been rather silent about the deterioration of the U.S.-Israel relationship during the Obama administration in which she served as secretary of state as well as about the nuclear negotiations with Iran. Given her unwillingness to take any clear stand, the media are left to chew over whatever scraps she leaves behind.
The latest scrap comes in the form of a statement — if it can even be called that — that emerged after a call with Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
A press release from the group published by San Diego Jewish World, notes, “Secretary Clinton thinks we need to all work together to return the special US-Israel relationship to constructive footing, to get back to basic shared concerns and interests, including a two-state solution pursued through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. We must ensure that Israel never becomes a partisan issue.”
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According to the New York Times, “A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton confirmed that she had spoken to Mr. Hoenlein, but would not elaborate on what they had discussed or say if he had quoted her accurately.”
The substance of the statement leaves it open to any possible interpretation regarding her position on the latest matters of controversy. It could be spun as her distancing herself from the Obama administration’s belligerence toward Israel, or it could be interpreted as her blaming Republicans for turning Israel into a partisan issue. And it offers no indication of her views on the nuclear talks with Iran. It doesn’t begin to answer the question that I and others have been raising: Does Hillary stand with Obama on Iran and Israel?
The fact that even a tepid statement like this had to emerge in this type of cloak and dagger fashion, with neither an official confirmation or denial that the statement is representative of her views, is another indication of the sort of cautious and calculating campaign Clinton intends to run. But when it comes time for her to campaign before pro-Israel audiences of her strong support for Israel, it should be remembered that she stood silent during this time of crisis.
