Hillary Clinton: US, Israel must preserve 'special' ties
“We need to all work together to return the special US-Israel relationship to constructive footing," says Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state.
By JPOST.COM STAFFFormer US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks during the 2015 Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting award in Washington March 23(photo credit: REUTERS)
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about the importance of US-Israel relations on Monday, amid tensions between the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a host of issues – from policy differences towards settlements in the West Bank to nuclear negotiations between world powers and Iran to comments made by the Israeli premier both before a joint session of Congress in March and in the final days of his re-election campaign.“We need to all work together to return the special US-Israel relationship to constructive footing," Clinton said during a phone conversation with Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, "to get back to basic shared concerns and interests.”Israel can "never" become a partisan issue, said the presumed front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination who also urged Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks. "We must ensure that."Hoenlein, who, according to a statement by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, had called Clinton on Monday, said her comments were of "special importance and timeliness" in light of "recent issues in the US-Israel relationship."Echoing Clinton's call for a "two-state solution pursued through direct negotiations," he said the conference believes that returning to the negotiating table was the only viable possibility for lasting peace.
