Netanyahu Phoned Dems About Address to Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Netanyahu has phoned several Democratic leaders in recent days in hopes of blunting their opposition to his planned address to Congress, but without much success.

Netanyahu called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate. But Congressional aides say the calls so far have not changed the minds of the senior Democrats, who think it turns sensitive negotiations with Iran into a partisan ploy.

Nevertheless, they say none of the Democratic leaders who spoke with Netanyahu on the phone asked the Israeli leader not to speak to Congress on March 3.

Asked Friday if Netanyahu would be well-advised to speak out in favor of heavier sanctions on Iran somewhere other than a joint meeting of Congress, Pelosi said “the opportunities are great,” and noted that the Israeli leader often appears on Sunday talk shows in the U.S.

She also was asked if most House Democrats would attend a Netanyahu speech to Congress. “I don’t know,” Pelosi replied.

“With all the respect in the world for the prime minister, and all the love in the world for the state of Israel, I don’t know that even everyone in Israel is supportive of the invitation,” she told journalists at a Democratic retreat in Philadelphia.

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the February 2nd, 2015 edition of Hamodia.