Hillary Clinton to address upcoming AIPAC conference

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is slated to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference in Washington later this month, the organization said Wednesday.

“AIPAC is pleased to announce that former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is confirmed to join us live at AIPAC’s 2016 Policy Conference,” the pro-Israel lobby said in an email. “It is our honor to host presidential candidates this year, just as we have in previous election cycles.”

The conference is scheduled to kick off Sunday, March 20, and last until Tuesday, March 22. AIPAC has stated that all presidential candidates were extended invitations to speak but Clinton is the first to confirm her attendance.

This year’s summit, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, will be the third time Clinton addresses the AIPAC crowd. She previously spoke at the annual event in 2008 as a New York senator and presidential hopeful, and again in 2010 as secretary of state.

Clinton’s plans were announced one day after she suffered a notable upset to rival Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Michigan primary, a contest where she had enjoyed a 2-1 lead in polls taken just days before any actual votes were cast.

While Sanders’s narrow victory Tuesday has challenged expectations that the Democratic nominating process will be wrapped up soon, it did not undercut Clinton’s vast delegate advantage — she currently holds 1,223 pledged delegates to Sanders’s 574. To win the Democratic nomination, a candidate needs 2,383.

This year’s AIPAC conference recently made headlines as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would not travel to the US to attend the gathering, while at the same time turning down an offer to meet with President Barack Obama days before. The prime minister will instead address the crowd via satellite.