Did Netanyahu Raise the Curtain on a Clinton Election Campaign?

Last Friday, on the opening evening of the Saban Forum in Washington, a farewell party of sorts was held for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In many ways the event seemed to some of those attending, such as New Yorker editor David Remnick, to be the opening salvo of Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

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A farewell film produced in Clinton's honor contributed to this perception more than anything else. At least four senior Israeli figures – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and former opposition leader Tzipi Livni — played starring roles.

In the film, which seemed to have been prepared especially for an election campaign, all four figures heaped praise on Clinton. But Netanyahu stood out; he was the only one of the quartet who hinted in front of the cameras that he believed Clinton is going to return to American politics.

"She knows how to get the job done," stated Netanyahu. "As someone who knows a thing or two about political comebacks, I can tell you that I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Hillary Clinton.”

Livni supplied some sentences that could definitely serve Clinton if she runs for president in four years. "I believe that what makes Hillary is something that few leaders have, and it's an inner compass," declared Livni, adding that the U.S. secretary of state also has "a deep understanding of right and wrong. And this is what makes Hillary [a] leader."

Barak offered his own words of praise. He said Clinton has been very effective in the international arena, and that she had exerted considerable influence on leaders around the world as well as on the American public. Barak chose to joke about Clinton: "Hillary was traveling so much and popping up in all corners of the world almost simultaneously, so we launched an investigation with our intelligence community," Barak mused. "They found that there are actually two Hillarys."