US House Minority Leader Hopes Netanyahu Will Not Address Congress

© AP Photo / Gali Tibbon, PoolIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Sputnik International
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US House Minority Leader Pelosi said that the US Congress "should not be a political arena" two weeks before Israel’s elections.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Sputnik International
Democrats Threaten to Boycott Netanyahu’s Speech to US Congress
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi expressed hope that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not address both chambers of US Congress on March 3, but she would attend his speech if Netanyahu did, according to the California Democratic Senator's statement on Thursday.

“As of now, it is my intention to go, [but] it’s still my hope that the event will not take place,” Pelosi said.

US House Speaker John Boehner invited Netanyahu to speak to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program and the security threat jihadist terrorists pose. The visit, however, falls two weeks before Israel’s elections on March 17.

Pelosi stressed that Iran’s nuclear program is an issue for the US President Barack Obama to decide on, and added Netanyahu’s visit “should not be a political arena two weeks before an election.”

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The White House has frowned upon Boehner’s invitation calling it a “departure from protocol.”

Pelosi said that staunch congressional Israel supporters had reached out to her alarmed that “our floor of the House would be used, exploited in that way for a political purpose in Israel and in the United States.”

President Obama and US State Department Secretary John Kerry said they would not meet with Netanyahu during his visit to avoid the appearance of influencing the Israeli elections.

Netanyahu’s address to Congress comes amid international efforts to reach an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program before a July deadline.

Congress is working on imposing tougher sanctions on Iran, which the Obama administration has said would undermine negotiations with Iran at a critical juncture. Obama also said he would veto any additional sanctions passed by Congress.

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