Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addressed the audience at the American Public Affairs Committee’s policy conference this morning to reassure her commitment to strengthen the US’ relationship with Israel, while also taking jabs at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
Clinton announced one of the first things she would do in the White House, if elected, is meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She added “Israel’s security is non-negotiable” and those who do deem otherwise “have no business being president.” Regarding the existential nuclear threat Israel faces from Iran and what she called “radical extremism,” Clinton said, “Walking away is not an option.”
Clinton took jabs at Trump and said that the US cannot be “neutral,” which is a term the GOP frontrunner has used regarding his stance on the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Clinton inaccurately quoted the stamp placed on the ballistic missile Iran launched last week, which read, “Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth." She said the stamp on the weapon read, “Israel must be wiped from the pages of history.”
The former Secretary of State said, “We cannot cede mantle of global leadership to anyone else.” She added the US-Israel relationship stronger “than the headlines try to make you believe.” Clinton called for the U.S. to provide Israel with “the most sophisticated” military equipment, despite a report published by Cato Institute:
While bilateral defense cooperation has helped boost the Israeli arms industry, the conditions on American aid do the opposite. Since in some cases the Israeli government has to go with U.S. weapons even if the domestic products were better, cheaper or both, efficient Israeli producers lose government contracts and consequent economies of scale. Israeli companies also have to purchase American raw materials, which raise the costs of Israeli weapons in world markets. This year’s policy conference consists of 18,000 plus attendees, the largest ever according to the pro-Israel lobbying group.
Source: AAN
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