Critics Aghast at 'Disgusting Speech' Clinton Just Gave to AIPAC
Published on
Monday, March 21, 2016
by
Common Dreams
Critics Aghast at 'Disgusting Speech' Clinton Just Gave to AIPAC
Democratic presidential candidate speech praises "everything that is bad
about Israeli policy and U.S. imperialism"
by
Lauren McCauley, staff writer
Hillary Clinton told the powerful AIPAC lobby on Monday that if elected
president one of her first actions would be to invite Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty)
Palestinian and human rights advocates were aghast over remarks made by
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the annual American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention on Monday, saying the her
speech represented "everything that is bad" with U.S. imperialism and policy
in the Middle East.
During the address, Clinton vowed to take the U.S.-Israel relationship to
"the next level"-a level which seemingly includes more war and imperialism,
few, if any, rights for Palestinians, and definitely no economic boycotts of
Israel.
"Has even one single Clinton supporter denounced the disgusting speech she
gave today?"
-Glenn GreenwaldStriking a hawkish tone, Clinton warned the powerful lobby
group against rival candidates who want to "outsource Middle East security
to dictators" and "cede the mantle of leadership for global peace and
security," and instead vowed even more "security and intelligence
cooperation."
"As president, I will make a firm commitment to ensure Israel maintains its
qualitative military edge," she said. "The United States should provide
Israel with the most sophisticated defense technology so it can deter and
stop any threats. That includes bolstering Israeli missile defenses with new
systems like the Arrow Three and David's Sling. And we should work together
to develop better tunnel detection, technology to prevent armed smuggling,
kidnapping and terrorist attacks."
As observers noted, as she ran down the list of "evolving threats," the
former U.S. secretary of state resorted to common neoconservative talking
points, declaring:
As we gather here, three evolving threats - Iran's continued aggression, a
rising tide of extremism across a wide arc of instability, and the growing
effort to de-legitimize Israel on the world stage - are converging to make
the U.S.-Israel alliance more indispensable than ever.
We have to combat all these trends with even more intense security and
diplomatic cooperation. The United States and Israel must be closer than
ever, stronger than ever and more determined than ever to prevail against
our common adversaries and to advance our shared values.
Touting her "deep, personal commitment" to the "Jewish state," Clinton then
said that "one of the first things I'll do in office is invite Israeli Prime
Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] to visit the White House."
The speech proved that, on matters of Israel, Clinton is "running to the
right" of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, as noted by Mondoweiss' Philip
Weiss, who wrote that the remarks were "filled with red meat for Israel
supporters" and "contained scant reference to the peace process."
Later, Clinton doubled down on her previous pledge to dismantle the growing
international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, linking the
campaign against Palestinian apartheid to anti-Semitism, saying "we must
repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate and undermine Israel and the Jewish
people."
"I've been sounding the alarm for a while now," Clinton continued. "As I
wrote last year in a letter to the heads of major American Jewish
organizations, we have to be united in fighting back against BDS."
Clinton then specifically called on young people "on the front lines" to
resist efforts to boycott Israel, saying: "I hope you stay strong. Keep
speaking out. Don't let anyone silence you, bully you or try to shut down
debate" -to which Naomi Dann, media correspondent for Jewish Voice for
Peace, responded:
Though unsurprised by the candidate's vigorous support for the policies and
tactics of the Israeli state, observers pointed to the remarks as a
frightening indicator of what a Clinton presidency could mean for the Middle
East.
In a statement to Common Dreams, Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of
Jewish Voice for Peace, said that the speech "is a reminder of the current
limits of the mainstream discourse on Israel, which rely on racist and
Islamophobic tropes to justify unquestioning support for Israel."
"From Democrats to Republicans, the message is the same," Vilkomerson
continued. "More arms for Israel, a stronger relationship between Israel and
the U.S., no mention of Palestinian rights, and no recognition of the
impossible contradiction of being both democratic and Jewish when the state
is predicated on maintaining systems of unequal rights and rule by military
occupation."
Watch the entire speech below:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License
Skip to main content
//
. DONATE
. SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER
Monday, March 21, 2016
. Home
. World
. U.S.
. Canada
. Climate
. War & Peace
. Economy
. Rights
. Solutions
. Sanders vs. Clinton
. Supreme Court Obstructionism
. Apple vs. FBI
. Trump-mentum?
. Election 2016
. Water Crisis in Flint
Critics Aghast at 'Disgusting Speech' Clinton Just Gave to AIPAC
Published on
Monday, March 21, 2016
by
Common Dreams
Critics Aghast at 'Disgusting Speech' Clinton Just Gave to AIPAC
Democratic presidential candidate speech praises "everything that is bad
about Israeli policy and U.S. imperialism"
by
Lauren McCauley, staff writer
. 77 Comments
. Hillary Clinton told the powerful AIPAC lobby on Monday that if
elected president one of her first actions would be to invite Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty)
. Palestinian and human rights advocates were aghast over remarks made
by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the annual American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention on Monday, saying the her
speech represented "everything that is bad" with U.S. imperialism and policy
in the Middle East.
. During the address, Clinton vowed to take the U.S.-Israel
relationship to "the next level"-a level which seemingly includes more war
and imperialism, few, if any, rights for Palestinians, and definitely no
economic boycotts of Israel.
. "Has even one single Clinton supporter denounced the disgusting
speech she gave today?"
-Glenn GreenwaldStriking a hawkish tone, Clinton warned the powerful lobby
group against rival candidates who want to "outsource Middle East security
to dictators" and "cede the mantle of leadership for global peace and
security," and instead vowed even more "security and intelligence
cooperation."
. "As president, I will make a firm commitment to ensure Israel
maintains its qualitative military edge," she said. "The United States
should provide Israel with the most sophisticated defense technology so it
can deter and stop any threats. That includes bolstering Israeli missile
defenses with new systems like the Arrow Three and David's Sling. And we
should work together to develop better tunnel detection, technology to
prevent armed smuggling, kidnapping and terrorist attacks."
. As observers noted, as she ran down the list of "evolving threats,"
the former U.S. secretary of state resorted to common neoconservative
talking points, declaring:
As we gather here, three evolving threats - Iran's continued aggression, a
rising tide of extremism across a wide arc of instability, and the growing
effort to de-legitimize Israel on the world stage - are converging to make
the U.S.-Israel alliance more indispensable than ever.
We have to combat all these trends with even more intense security and
diplomatic cooperation. The United States and Israel must be closer than
ever, stronger than ever and more determined than ever to prevail against
our common adversaries and to advance our shared values.
Touting her "deep, personal commitment" to the "Jewish state," Clinton then
said that "one of the first things I'll do in office is invite Israeli Prime
Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] to visit the White House."
The speech proved that, on matters of Israel, Clinton is "running to the
right" of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, as noted by Mondoweiss' Philip
Weiss, who wrote that the remarks were "filled with red meat for Israel
supporters" and "contained scant reference to the peace process."
Later, Clinton doubled down on her previous pledge to dismantle the growing
international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, linking the
campaign against Palestinian apartheid to anti-Semitism, saying "we must
repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate and undermine Israel and the Jewish
people."
"I've been sounding the alarm for a while now," Clinton continued. "As I
wrote last year in a letter to the heads of major American Jewish
organizations, we have to be united in fighting back against BDS."
Clinton then specifically called on young people "on the front lines" to
resist efforts to boycott Israel, saying: "I hope you stay strong. Keep
speaking out. Don't let anyone silence you, bully you or try to shut down
debate" -to which Naomi Dann, media correspondent for Jewish Voice for
Peace, responded:
Though unsurprised by the candidate's vigorous support for the policies and
tactics of the Israeli state, observers pointed to the remarks as a
frightening indicator of what a Clinton presidency could mean for the Middle
East.
In a statement to Common Dreams, Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of
Jewish Voice for Peace, said that the speech "is a reminder of the current
limits of the mainstream discourse on Israel, which rely on racist and
Islamophobic tropes to justify unquestioning support for Israel."
"From Democrats to Republicans, the message is the same," Vilkomerson
continued. "More arms for Israel, a stronger relationship between Israel and
the U.S., no mention of Palestinian rights, and no recognition of the
impossible contradiction of being both democratic and Jewish when the state
is predicated on maintaining systems of unequal rights and rule by military
occupation."
Watch the entire speech below:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License
