Earlier today, Netanyahu confirmed he will travel to Washington in March to address Congress so he can make one trip to the United States instead of two in the run-up to the March 17 Israeli election, a Republican aide said on Thursday.
Republican congressional leaders said on Wednesday they had invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress on Feb. 11, prompting questions from the White House about whether protocol had been violated.
"The Israelis initially agreed to a date in February, but decided they only wanted the prime minister to make one trip to the U.S. before the election, so they asked to change to the first week in March," the aide said.
Netanyahu also plans to address a conference of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC during his visit.
[alarabiya.net]
22/1/15
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- Kerry also won't meet Netanyahu during Washington trip (State Department)...
US Secretary of State John Kerry will not meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the prime minister's upcoming visit to Washington, the State Department said on Thursday.
The White House earlier said US President Barack Obama would not meet with Netanyahu when he addresses the US Congress in March. Like the White House, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also cited a need to avoid the appearance of trying to influence Israeli elections later in March. [jpost.com by Reuters] 22/1/15
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White House Has Cool Reaction to Congress’ Invitation to Netanyahu ...
ReplyDeleteThe White House says President Barack Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits Washington in March to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. Republican House Speaker John Boehner said that he did not consult with the White House in advance. Many see the invitation as a rebuke by congressional Republicans to President Obama’s policy of international diplomacy to curb Iran’s nuclear program. VOA’s Cindy Saine has the story from Capitol Hill...........video......http://www.voanews.com/media/video/2610212.html