Twice failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is taking heat for using her meeting with families of Israeli hostages to attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Thursday, Clinton did spare her criticism of Netanyahu while touting President Joe Biden’s holiday deal for the release of the hostages ahead of Christmas next week.
Israeli News reported that Clinton told the families of the hostages that Netanyahu was busy with “politics and personal political survival.”
Clinton also urged relatives of the hostages to put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to those present at the meeting, she told the families that Netanyahu is only busy with “politics and personal political survival” and that Knesset seats are of more interest to this government than the hostages.
“As long as the hostages are not the main and primary target for Israel, then everything that I or President Biden say or do is of little value,” Clinton told them, according to participants in the meeting.
Since the beginning of the war, Clinton has been at the forefront of advocacy and support for Israel. At the meeting with the family members, she did not spare criticism of Netanyahu and his government. According to them, Clinton said she knew about significant efforts to bring about a “Christmas deal” but clarified that ultimately, the decision-makers are the Israeli government and Hamas. She promised to continue to do everything in her power to make such a deal happen.
On Wednesday, Biden told the families he is pushing for a deal. However, he admitted that he does not foresee that happening anytime soon.
The Democratic Party has opposed Netanyahu for some time due to their policies in the Middle East.
Former President Bill Clinton intervened in the 1999 Israeli elections to support Netanyahu’s opponent. When the Israeli prime minister returned to office in 2009, he opposed former President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and has since fought Biden’s effort to restore the Palestinian Authority to Gaza.