Deputy Minister Michael Oren
Deputy Minister Michael OrenYoni Kempinski

Minister for Diplomacy in the Prime Minister's office Michael Oren, in an interview with Arutz Sheva, said that Hilary's health could be a game changer for the American people.

Donald Trump was quick to provide a reserved statement, wishing Hilary a speedy recovery. Do you think that it was genuine?

“I think that we are talking about a break. It could be that this is the quiet before the storm due to the fact that he has already mentioned that Hilary has health problems in the past. What are the chances that he won’t continue to do so now that she has collapsed in public?

Oren added that the incident doesn’t point to the fact that she isn’t well. People can be completely healthy and still collapse. The fast pace race for the White House can also be hard. We have elections that last for three months. She has been running for almost three years.

“Hilary isn’t young and this race takes its toll, this isn’t the first time a candidate has gotten sick during a campaign.”

So you are essentially saying that there is no escape – Clinton’s health scare will have an effect on the elections

“There is a good chance that it will have an impact. She might also gain empathy from this incident. The American public, like the Israeli public, want to be at ease with the ability of the leader to function – and not just on the quiet days.”

Oren noted that “In the past, there were presidents who were in poor health – like Roosevelt who was in very poor health and functioned quite well. John Kennedy was also very sick and is considered one of the best presidents of all time.”

Is there a chance that this incident will have a positive effect?

“We can’t rule that possibility out. I would say that perhaps it will weaken her position. They have to explain many things. There were several mistakes there. The reaction after an hour and a half wasn’t precise. Clinton also has a trust issue – everything plays a part for the public.”

With that, Oren speculates that the fight is far from over. “In the 2016 elections there were, and apparently will continue to be, so many unexpected incidents that will shape the future and it’s hard to know what will be. Anything can happen. Who would have guessed that this is what would happen even 24 hours ago?”

Next week Vice Minister Oren will accompany Prime Minister Netanyahu on his visit to the United States. He commented on the meetings that are supposed to occur between Netanyahu and President Obama but aren’t yet scheduled.

“I had a similar problem in 2012 – we hadn’t scheduled a meeting but chances are, that if they are both in New York at the same time and they are both at the UN, a meeting will naturally occur. Everything could change at the last minute,” Oren speculates.