Clinton calls for ‘bipartisan’ effort to defend Israel

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for a bipartisan national effort to fight back at the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) campaign against Israel, which she calls “the latest effort to single out Israel on the world stage.”

Clinton, in a personal letter to top Democratic Party donor Haim Saban, expressed her “alarm” over BDS and said that “we need to make countering BDS a priority.” In the July 2 letter, made public today, Clinton sought Saban’s advice on “how we can work together — across party lines and with a diverse array of voices — to reverse this trend with information and advocacy, and fight back against further attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel.”

The former US secretary of state condemned BDS for attempting to “punish Israel and dictate how the Israelis and Palestinians should resolve the core issues of their conflict. This is not the path to peace,” she wrote. The need to fight BDS remains particularly critical at a time of rising anti-Semitism in Europe and around the world, she added. “We need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people.”

Saban lauded Clinton’s call to ramp up efforts to combat BDS, and said her comments underscored his long-standing contention that she has been — and will continue to be — a strong friend of Israel. “As I have been saying all along, when she becomes president, Hillary will reinforce the US-Israel relationship,” he said. “These two allies share the same values and interests. In this letter, Hillary proves her unwavering commitment to Israel and the Jewish community.”