TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Israel on a visit intended to put to rest any lingering doubts about her support for Israel.
Clinton, a New York Democrat and former first lady who is embarking on a re-election campaign, was scheduled to meet with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and top Israeli defense officials, commemorate the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and visit the Israeli separation barrier that runs through the West Bank, The New York Times reported.
No visits to Palestinian territories or meetings with Palestinian leaders are on Clinton's public schedule.
In 1999, Clinton traveled to the West Bank as first lady and was acclaimed there as a champion of Palestinian nationhood because of comments she had made in 1998 that seemed to express support for a Palestinian state. The comments, criticized by some American Jewish groups, were disavowed by the White House, the newspaper said.
In her 2000 Senate race, Clinton staked out a number of positions that appealed to Jewish voters, declaring, for example, that Jerusalem should be the "eternal and indivisible capital of Israel."
