Clinton on Full-On Reconciliation Detail at AIPAC

While Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton mentioned the “longstanding American policy that does not accept continued settlements” and the obligation to tell Israel “hard truths,” her speech to the largest pro-Israel lobby group is clearly a speech about unbreakable ties between the U.S. and Israel.

In her speech to The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), she offered a strong defense of the Obama administration’s warm feelings toward Israel and even tied him to the Jewish experience by saying, “President Obama and his family have lived the diaspora experience.” Most importantly, she devoted a long section of her speech to discussing what AIPAC considers its top priority: ”The United States is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” Clinton. “The world has seen it is Iran, not the United States, responsible for the impasse… More and more nations are finally expressing deep concerns about Iran’s intentions, and there is a growing international consensus on pressuring Iran’s leaders to change course.” Clinton held out hope for U.N. Security Council-backed “sanctions that will bite” on an intransigent Iran.

Beyond Iran, Clinton reminded AIPAC’s delegates that “we repeatedly voted against the deeply flawed Goldstone report” that blamed Israel and Hamas for human rights abuses in Gaza and Israel. “This administration will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself.”