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Clinton on Channel 10

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Israel, and it appears that she did not pass up an opportunity to speak to the Israeli people. However, she used that opportunity to both say nothing and reaffirm what everyone knows — Israelis would prefer Clinton over Obama, hands down.

On the saying nothing, in an interview with Channel 10, Clinton gave no firm stance and demand on settlements and the pending end of the moratorium on construction, which could derail the fragile peace talks.

SECRETARY CLINTON: We are the beginning of what everyone in Israel knows are very difficult and intense negotiations on all of the core issues. And I’m not going to prejudge or predict what the outcome of those negotiations would be. But clearly, as I’ve watched the two leaders over the last few weeks, they’re not wasting any time. They’re getting right into talking about the most sensitive, most difficult issues. And the outcome is going to be what each thinks and is in the best interests of the Israeli and Palestinian people.

QUESTION: Do they? I mean, according to reports in Israeli media this morning, Netanyahu said yesterday that he would not extend the settlement freeze, and Abbas said that he would not start anything if that doesn’t happen. (Inaudible) still halfway there.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, again, that’s being discussed. I understand the positions of both leaders, and the United States believes that we need to establish an environment that is conducive to negotiations. And from what I’ve seen, it could go on a very fast track to either an agreement or to agreement on certain things, and I hope that it continues.
I think that doing something about the moratorium, which both President Obama and I have said would be an important decision by this government here in Israel, and for President Abbas to stay committed to these talks and stay in them and get into these core issues, as they began to yesterday – that’s the only way that there’s going to be any agreement on security for Israel and a state for the Palestinians.
QUESTION: What is exactly the American position on the settlements right now? Should the moratorium be extended or not? And would you prefer it to be extended, would you insist it to be extended?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have stated that we think that’s in the interest of these negotiations, and our position on settlements has been unchanged going back many years through Republican and Democratic presidents. And —
QUESTION: But now for the first time, it’s the major issue right at the beginning.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well —
QUESTION: Was this possibly a mistake?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that it was – it’s always been a major issue. It’s always been a concern. And it has been one that has proven to be difficult. If we’re going to have an agreement about a territory and we’re going to have a democratic, secure, Jewish state in Israel and an independent, sovereign, viable state for the Palestinians, everybody knows that settlements are going to be discussed. And there are differences in their location and their numbers, but it is something that can’t be put under the rug; it has to be confronted.

Clinton did, however, take a strong position on Iran just like she did during the primaries. Clinton has long been hawkish on Iran’s nuclear program, and Israelis are terrified that Iranian nuclear capabilities would mark the end of the Jewish state. Obama has not been as aggressive on Iran, although he has spearheaded sanctions that could be — if Russia and China do not abide by them — irrelevant. Israel has heightened its military posturing toward Iran (such as by sending ships to the Gulf) and is largely expected to be weighing its military options and whether to fly over Saudi Arabia or Iraq. Clinton said:

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I am fully and completely committed to the defense and security of Israel. It’s something that I take very personally. It’s something that I felt, that my husband and I believed before he was ever president, before I ever knew I’d be sitting here as Secretary of State.

And I don’t think there’s any doubt in anyone’s mind that Iran’s aggressive support of terrorism, their financing, equipping of Hamas, of Hezbollah, is a threat to Israel. Israel can handle those threats. We know that. But if you look at long-range missiles, if you look at their continuing pursuit of nuclear power and even nuclear weapons, Israel, but so do every other country in the region, have a reason to say, “Wait a minute, we cannot tolerate this,” which is why we’ve worked so hard.
Until President Obama came into office, everybody wrung their hands and everybody pointed fingers, but we really didn’t do very much. And what we’ve done in the last 18 months is to put into place a very tough sanctions regime, which, from every report, is beginning to have a real impact economically and politically. We are committed to the goal that President Obama has stated, that I fully support, that we are doing everything we can to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed country. But at the same time, we’re talking not only with Israel, but we’re talking to other countries in the region who have the same fears that Israel has about this.

Israelis’ top priority, as articulate d by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu several times, is Iran, not the peace process. Clinton most certainly knows that and her audience. While she may continue to garner favor among Israelis, Clinton did pass up the opportunity to really pressure both Israel and the Palestinians on the peace process. Instead, she used the typical U.S. position of non-intervention on a solution to avoid alienating either party. She did what every other administration has done and postured the U.S. as a peace broker but not as a committed driver of ideas.

But, we do learn something. Clinton has surely picked up the local lingo:

SECRETARY CLINTON: And what did you teach me? Sababa?

QUESTION: Sababa.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Sababa.

 

Author

Ben Moscovitch

Ben Moscovitch is a Washington D.C.-based political reporter and has covered Congress, homeland security, and health care. He completed an intensive two-year Master's in Middle Eastern History program at Tel Aviv University, where he wrote his thesis on the roots of Palestinian democratic reforms. Ben graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in English Literature. He currently resides in Washington, D.C. Twitter follow: @benmoscovitch

Areas of Focus:
Middle East; Israel-Palestine; Politics

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