REPUBLICANS ACCUSED SECRETARY CLINTON OF NEGLECTING U.S. ALLIES LIKE ISRAEL, DAMAGING THE U.S.-ISRAEL RELATIONSHIP, AND MISUNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEMS POSED BY GAZA Bobby Jindal Attacked The Obama Administration And Hillary Clinton For Neglecting And Abandoning Our Allies. “Otherwise, Jindal's remark were heavy on blaming the Obama White House, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for fumbling foreign policy. ‘Today, we see a world in which the Obama administration has neglected or abandoned America's long-standing allies. Our 'special relationship' with Britain is gone, NATO is drifting, Eastern Europe is disaffected, and Israel has been purposefully alienated from the United States,’ he said. He went on to say the last months has sparked the rise of ISIS, Russia's incursion into Crimea and Ukraine, and other flare-ups around the world.” [The Post And Courier, 10/7/14] Jindal: “The Worst Legacy Of Obama & Hillary Clinton Is The Intentional Damage They Caused To Our Relationship With Israel And The Coddling Of Iran.” [@BobbyJindal, Twitter, 3/3/15] Ted Cruz: “Hillary Clinton Seems To Fundamentally Misunderstand The Problem” In Gaza. In a statement posted to his official Facebook page, Senator Ted Cruz wrote: “Hillary Clinton seems to fundamentally misunderstand the problem. Hamas doesn't put rockets in schools, mosques, hospitals, and homes because ‘Gaza is pretty small.’ Hamas does so--and tells civilians to stay there, when the rockets are about to be taken out--because they want to use the citizens of Gaza as human shields. The entire objective, for Hamas, is to have heart-wrenching pictures of dead Palestinian women and children emblazoned across the evening news, for the UN and the media to use to demonize Israel. Using civilians as human shields is a war crime, and Secretary Clinton should not be excusing it merely as a consequence of the small size of Gaza.” [Blog Post, Senator Ted Cruz, Facebook, 7/29/14] CLINTON DEFENSE SOME COLUMNISTS CLAIMED THAT SECRETARY CLINTON IS LIKELY TO HAVE A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU THAN PRESIDENT OBAMA CURRENTLY DOES… Foreign Policy’s Aaron David Miller: Secretary Clinton “Has Some Natural Advantages That Would Help Mitigate Some Of The Gratuitous Tensions That Have Made An Already Tough [U.S.-Israel] Relationship Tougher And Perhaps Lay The Groundwork For More Productive Cooperation.” “Indeed, she conceded in her book Hard Choices that she was never comfortable playing the bad cop with Netanyahu to Joe Biden’s more even-tempered good cop. And yet, she has some natural advantages that would help mitigate some of the gratuitous tensions that have made an already tough relationship tougher and perhaps lay the groundwork for more productive cooperation.” [Aaron David Miller, Foreign Policy, 11/10/14] Foreign Policy’s Aaron David Miller On Secretary Clinton: “Should She Become President…Better Ties With Israel Are Virtually Guaranteed.” “Should she become president, on one level, better ties with Israel are virtually guaranteed. I remember well the transition from Bush 41 to Bill Clinton in 1993. A willful effort was made to demonstrate that the page had turned and that the roller coaster ride under Bush and Secretary of State James Baker (quite productive really) was over. Granted it was easier then because Yitzhak Rabin was prime minister. But let’s not forget that the Clintons dealt with Bibi too as prime minister. It was never easy. But clearly it was a lot more productive than what we see now. A couple of interim Israeli-Palestinian agreements and a successful leader summit helped keep things quiet. It was conflict management. But, hey, that’s kind of what’s required now.” [Aaron David Miller, Foreign Policy, 11/10/14] Washington Post: “From Netanhayu’s Perspective, Clinton Would Be An Improvement Over President Obama.” “From Netanhayu’s perspective, Clinton would be an improvement over President