Clinton was sharply hawkish during that earlier exchange on the Palestinians, hewing much closer to the positions of the Netanyahu government than that of the Obama administration in which she served. Obama has been far more critical of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, and Clinton refused several opportunities to suggest that Israel could deal more evenhandedly with the residents of Gaza and the Arab towns on the West Bank. It’s tempting to blame that on crass demographic politics prior to the New York primary, but in fact, the Middle East is one of the areas where Clinton has long taken a clear right turn away from the administration’s policies. As Sanders pointed out, she does support a no-fly zone in Syria, unlike Obama, and has pushed for a stronger military response to ISIS. By not calling on Israel to halt settlement construction or criticizing its military responses, she has made clear how much more centrist her approach to foreign policy is likely to be if elected.
