Commercial Appeal - Cohen May Skip Netanyahu Speech

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen said Wednesday he’s considering skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress next month because he fears it will damage Israel’s relationship with the United States.

“I’m afraid it’s going to be a political effort to oppose (President Barack Obama’s) decision on diplomacy, and it will be harmful to the relationship Israel has historically held with our country,” the Memphis Democrat said.

A number of Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden, are reportedly threatening to boycott Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress on March 3.

House Speaker John Boehner invited Netanyahu to give the address without consulting the White House, angering some members of Congress who expect the Israeli leader to use the platform to argue for sanctions against Iran.

The United States and other Western powers are negotiating with Iran in hopes of striking a deal that would prevent the country from being able to develop a nuclear weapon.

Some Congress members are pushing for the passage of legislation to place sanctions against Iran if the negotiations fail. But the White House says the threat of sanctions could jeopardize the ongoing discussions.

Cohen, one of several Jewish members of Congress, said this is the wrong time for the prime minister to address U.S. lawmakers, given the negotiations with Iran and Netanyahu’s own election coming up on March 17.

“I think, politically, when he decided to do it he probably thought it would be advantageous to his election,” Cohen said.

Cohen said he hopes Netanyahu will reconsider and not give his speech. “If he does come to make his speech, I’ll decide then whether to attend or not,” Cohen said.

Cohen said he generally attends speeches by foreign leaders, “but this is one where courtesies weren’t shown to the president of the United States in arranging the speech.”

“I think the speaker shouldn’t have done this own his own,” Cohen said. “He should have arranged and worked with the administration, and the administration should have made the decision on timing.”

Cohen and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., are circulating a draft letter to other Congress members asking Boehner to postpone Netanyahu’s speech until after the Israeli elections and after the March 24 deadline for the concluding the discussions with Iran has passed.