Alwaght- Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Wednesday regarding the visit of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli regime Prime Minister, to the US next month: "He is interfering in our internal affairs, and I don't want to interfere in Israeli internal affairs.” She added: “it strikes me that there's an awful lot going on in his neighborhood in the Middle East, and that's where he should be."
According to The New York Times, Netanyahu's appearance in the Congress "is bound to further harm a bilateral relationship that has endured a lot of battering over the past six years."
Netanyahu is expected to address the Congress in a joint session by the Republican House Speaker John Boehner without consulting the Democrats or the White House. The expected speech was regarded with opposition especially that it is timed with the diplomatic negotiation with Iran.
The Times was critical of Boehner's invitation, which it said was meant to challenge President Obama’s approach to achieving a nuclear agreement with Iran," and called the move, "a breach of sense and diplomacy." The paper accused Boehner of a "hostile attempt to lobby Congress to enact more sanctions against Iran, a measure that Obama has rightly threatened to veto." "Republicans apparently see value in trying to sabotage any possible success for Mr. Obama, even if it harms American interests."
More than twenty congressmen have signed a petition urging Boehner to postpone Netanyahu’s speech after the end of the diplomatic negotiations.
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy and other senators have declared their disapproval and they would not attend the session. Sander said on Tuesday: "The unfortunate way that House leaders have unilaterally arranged this, and then heavily politicized it, has demolished the potential constructive value of this Joint Meeting." He added: “They have orchestrated a tawdry and high-handed stunt that has embarrassed not only Israel but the Congress itself."
President Obama will not meet Netanyahu during his visit and top Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. He reiterated on Monday that “international talks over stemming Iran's nuclear plans are delicate; it won't help if Netanyahu calls for more sanctions against Iran in the midst of those talks,” something he's expected to do in his speech to Congress.
"I don't want to be coy, the prime minister and I have a very real difference around Iran sanctions," Obama said. "What's the rush?"
According to Reuters, Obama took the Israeli regime's elections as a pretext for not meeting Netanyahu during his visit as to follow a basic protocol of not meeting with world leaders few weeks before an election.
Netanyahu is obstinate about addressing the congress despite the backlash as he tweeted on Tuesday, “I’m determined to speak before Congress to stop Iran. RETWEET if I have your support.” He has also said his purpose is rather to bring to light a threat to Israel's existence rather than antagonizing Obama.
Netanyahu is expected to impost explicit criticism of Obama’s policy regarding Iran nuclear negotiations and reiterate his request to add more sanctions on Iran. However, Obama promises to veto any sanction bills that might go through Congress while the negotiations are still on.
Netanyahu’s speech is planned before two weeks of the Israeli regime's elections. According to the Jerusalem Post, Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On and Zionist Union campaign adviser Eldad Yaniv submitted a petition to ban the speech from being aired on their TV channels, on grounds that it would constitute illegal election campaigning. The petition was accepted but with five-minute delay in order to eliminate any possible electioneering.
“The central issue, which is most important and significant, is stopping Iran’s attempts to rush toward nuclear weapons that will threaten Israel, the region and Europe,” the Likud party stated, the claim that Iran's officials, including Iran's supreme leader have repeatedly rejected. “That is why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to speak before the American Congress.” He is also expected to focus on Islamist extremism.
As it is well known, the AIPAC – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (a pretentious title for a political lobby group) controls the current congress. In turn, the AIPAC is controlled and financed by Israeli regime supporters. These take their orders from the Likud policy agenda of Binyamin Netanyahu.
According to The Guardian, a poll by Army Radio, 47% of Israelis think that Natenyahu should cancel his speech. However, the majority (63%) say that the speech will not affect their decision whether to vote for Netanyahu or not during the elections next month.
In the occupied lands, critics have described Netanyahu’s visit as “an election ploy and a slap in the face of the Obama administration after it has worked hard to deflect challenges to Israel at the United Nations and most recently at the International Criminal Court.”
Regarding the American public, most believe that the invitation was inappropriate (47%); however, President Obama should meet him (58%). Fourty-six percent of those polled said that their Congress member should attend the speech. The poll conducted by Huffington post conducted among 1000 Americans “highlighted the sharp partisan – and racial - ”divide in attitudes. Majority of the Republicans (50%) regard the invitation as appropriate, compared to 72% of Democrats who regard it as inappropriate.
The poll also highlighted the differences based on race and ethnicity. Disapproval was highest among African Americans (67%) compared to Caucasians (47%) and Hispanics (55%). Moreover, 47% of African Americans do not want their Congressional members to attend the speech. The African Americans are the only group who support Obama’s decision in not meeting Netanyahu during his visit.
Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom, a former Congregation of Adath Jeshurun, a conservative synagogue based in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, was not pleased with the expected speech. “Most of the Jews I’ve spoken to, who are very concerned with the welfare of the state of Israel, are not comfortable with Netanyahu speaking to Congress, especially not in the way it’s being done.”
According to Haaretz, the majority of the African American Congressmen said they will boycott the speech, which they “view as showing disrespect towards the President.”
