President Clinton called Rabin's widow to wish her well on the fifth anniversary of her husband's assassination, a White House spokesman said.

Leah Rabin, who is fighting lung cancer, was undergoing tests in a Tel Aviv hospital when Clinton called Saturday.

The president "called because she's an old friend and isn't feeling well, and he wanted to touch base with her," the spokesman said. Rabin was unable to attend the rally in her husband's honor.