In a letter to one of her top donors, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton allegedly wrote about her support for Israel, stating that she has “made it clear that America will always stand up for Israel,” while simultaneously mentioning her support for a two-state solution.
In Clinton's letter to longtime donor Haim Saban, she expressed concern over the popular Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) movement that targets Israeli goods and academics.
Clinton wrote,
“I am writing to express my alarm over the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction movement, or ‘BDS,’ a global effort to isolate the State of Israel by ending commercial and academic exchanges.
I know you agree that we need to make countering BDS a priority.”
Clinton referenced her tenure in office, explaining that she has stood with Israel in the past:
“BDS is the latest attempt to single out Israel on the world stage, but we’ve seen this sort of attack before, at the UN and elsewhere. As Senator and Secretary of State, I saw how crucial it is for America to defend Israel at every turn. I have opposed dozens of anti-Israel resolutions at the UN, the Human Rights Council, and other international organizations. I condemned the biased Goldstone Report, making it clear that Israel must be allowed to defend itself like any other country. And I made sure the United States blocked Palestinian attempts at the UN to unilaterally declare statehood. Time after time, no matter the venue, I have made it clear that America will always stand up for Israel – and that’s what I’ll always do as President.”
Additionally, Clinton wrote in the letter,
“I am also very concerned by attempts to compare Israel to South African apartheid. Israel is a vibrant democracy in a region dominated by autocracy, and it faces existential threats to its survival. Particularly at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the world - especially in Europe – we need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people. After all, it was only six months ago that four Jews were targeted and killed in a Kosher supermarket in Paris as they did their Sabbath shopping. ”
The letter only briefly referenced Clinton's support for a two-state solution:
“I remain convinced that Israel’s long-term security and future as a Jewish state depends on having two states for two people. But that outcome can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians – it cannot be imposed from the outside or by unilateral actions.”
During Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, she advocated for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations based on Israel’s 1967 borders. In 2009, Clinton stated,
“We believe that through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements. Let me say to all the people of the region and world: our commitment to achieving a solution with two states living side by side in peace and security is unwavering.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decried the 1967 plan as making Israel's borders “indefensible.”