Washington – Democrats Caught Between Obama, Netanyahu On Speech

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    Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pauses while he speaks to supporters of his Likud party as he campaigns in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim, near Jerusalem February 25, 2015.  ReutersWashington – Jewish House Democrats personally offered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a chance to lower the political temperature after he accepted a Republican invitation to speak to Congress next week on Iran — a less provocative, closed-door session.

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    Netanyahu turned them down, frustrating members of President Barack Obama’s party who are caught between the White House and the Israeli leader.

    Democrats face an unenviable choice on Tuesday: Attend the speech and listen to the Israeli leader criticize the president over his effort to negotiate a deal with Iran on its nuclear capability. Or skip it and face complaints that they failed to show solidarity with Netanyahu.

    Democrats are largely resigned to the situation although still bitter about being caught in between. They’re directing their wrath at House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who invited Netanyahu without consulting with the White House and State Department. And they’re publicly disagreeing with the Israeli leader, too.

    Rep. Sander Levin, R-Mich., called Boehner’s invitation to Netanyahu “a strictly political ploy by the speaker to try to reinforce the Republicans’ position on Israel and divide Democrats.”

    Netanyahu was “mistaken to agree to it,” he said. “Speaker Boehner is playing politics with the critical issue of Israel’s security. That’s beyond pardon as far as I’m concerned.”

    Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who urged Israeli officials to move or postpone the speech, said the temperature “has remained at a simmer for some time. I think the important thing is we not let the critical significance of the Iranian nuclear issue be overshadowed.”

    Some Democrats will skip the speech, but Schiff will attend.

    “My advice is, listen respectfully,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who separately met with Ron Dermer, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. “Eventually it’s going to go away, and the issue that’s going to remain is what do we do about Iran.”

    Late last year, Boehner, in coordination with Senate Republican leaders and Dermer, arranged for the invitation to Netanyahu. Dermer is an American-born official who worked with GOP political operatives before appointment to his Israeli position.

    Democrats have howled that the invitation was a breach of protocol, that the timing was inappropriate ahead of March 17 Israeli elections and that it injected partisanship into the relationship between Israel and the U.S.

    The Obama administration was furious, and National Security Adviser Susan Rice said this week that the planned speech was “destructive” to relations between the two countries. Vice President Joe Biden will be traveling and won’t attend. Obama has no plans to meet with Netanyahu during his U.S. visit.

    The White House did decide to send Rice and U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power to speak to AIPAC, America’s leading pro-Israel lobby’s meeting, next week.

    Boehner has defended the speech decision, saying Americans need to hear from Netanyahu, who insists that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is paramount to ensure the survival of Israel, and that Iran can’t be trusted in any talks.

    Majority Republicans are making sure the event stings Obama and his fellow Democrats — for the world to see.

    “It’s our House,” said Rep. John Carter, R-Texas. “Did anyone tell them not to come? If they choose to sit it out, that’s their problem.”

    Nearly a dozen lawmakers have chosen to skip the speech, and across Congress, Democrats have labored to keep their fury focused on Boehner.

    “You don’t put your thumb on the scale of the Israeli election,” said Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who wrote Boehner last month to request a postponement. “They were not interested in my request, so I’m not coming.”

    But Democrats clearly are vexed, too, with the prime minister over what many see as his effort to sabotage a possible nuclear deal.

    None are more anguished than Congress’ Jewish Democrats. Even as they restated their staunch support for Israel, they splintered into an array of angry responses and strategies, none of which succeeded in changing Netanyahu’s plans.

    The political controversy threatens to “completely eclipse the substance of a deal with Iran,” said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., who with Nadler is one of seven Jewish Democrats who met with Dermer earlier this month.

    The Israelis are angry and so are the Democrats, said Israel, who will attend the speech. The only one who’s not, he said, “is John Boehner, who’s getting the headlines that he engineered.”

    In meetings with Dermer and a call to Netanyahu, Democrats suggested he deliver his speech in the congressional auditorium behind closed doors, a venue that would allow for any classified information that Israel might have on Iran’s capabilities.

    Netanyahu will deliver his speech in the storied House chamber, from the podium where presidents speak.

    This week, the angst deepened among Jewish Democrats. In the Senate, Dianne Feinstein of California co-authored an invitation to Netanyahu to meet privately with Democrats. Within hours, Netanyahu rejected it, saying such a session could “compound the misperception of partisanship.”

    “There’s nothing to be gained by Democrats criticizing Bibi Netanyahu,” Israel said.

    And yet, some let it fly from Congress’ highest ranks.

    “His refusal to meet is disappointing to those of us who have stood by Israel for decades,” fumed Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who co-authored the separate invitation with Feinstein.

    Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., who in a Feb. 13 phone call personally urged Netanyahu to move the speech, said she’ll attend anyway.

    “I’m going to focus on all the work that has to be done between the prime minister and President Obama to repair the relationship,” she said. “We’ll get through it and we’ll move forward.”


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    25 Comments
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    9 years ago

    The headline picture shows the real face of Bibi; an arrogant, awful & deceitful human being.

    Bibi the Jews of America beg you to stay home!

    rhillel
    rhillel
    9 years ago

    What you learn from this is how much the Democratic congressmen and women fear retaliation from their party leaders. Never have we heard so many statements from so many people all saying pretty much the same thing about something that they really shouldn’t be making a big deal of at all. So Netanyahu is speaking. Big Deal! How can a little speech that hasn’t even been made arouse so much curiosity, interest, anger, criticism, expectations, excuses, analyzations, philosophies, viewpoints, contradictions, absurdities, and condemnation? These Dems are not free thinkers at all. It is virtually impossiible for every one of them to all think exactly the same on such a monumental issue. The nuclear armament of the insane terrorist regime. Biggest enemy of Israel. Even though the republicans cannot be trusted any more. Still the Democrats are sounding like a troop of robots sayin yes to the big boss. Certainly they don’t have freedom of speech like the rest of us do. They are seriously worried about their jobs. And for this let the third world go nuclear. Amazing.

    savtat
    savtat
    9 years ago

    The Jews of America are very proud of Bibi and we need him to come and state his concerns. The Democrats should show up and they all should respectfully highlight the very real dangers that we face with Iran.

    The President is a very smart man and he understands the very real problems we have with an agreement that does not shut down the reactors. A united US government effort in that direction is our best chance to shut the nuclear project without going to war.

    9 years ago

    Bibi Netanyahu is going to speak to Congress to tell them the “hidden” atrocities of Iran and how they want to annihilate the Israelis and the Jews chas v’Sholom – nothing to do with Obama – he needs to tell Republicans AND Democrats what this is all about so that 1939 is NOT REPEATED AGAIN. You American citizens ought to urge your Representatives in Congress to LISTEN to him and hear him out, not to walk out.

    Boochie
    Boochie
    9 years ago

    Obama is a lame duck hour knows it and most of the Democrats know it…
    So the true colors ate all coming out

    PowerUp
    PowerUp
    9 years ago

    Correct!! Bibi Is not welcome, even if he disagrees, its america’s call, not israel, who’s only chance of ever surviving any major war is with america’s help.

    mewhoze
    mewhoze
    9 years ago

    can someone tell me which other country in that area is a TRUE ally?
    no one, that’s who!!
    wise up American politicians…if push comes to shove, everyone there except Israel will try to be rid of us too.
    SUPPORT ISRAEL!!!

    Zachor613
    Zachor613
    9 years ago

    Now we have a better understanding of the 1930’s in Europe. We all say the Jews of the Holocaust should have armed themselves. They should have put up a fight.

    Now we have the same people saying “do nothing”, “don’t say anything to get anyone angry at us”.

    History does repeat itself. Meir Kahane was right all along.