Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was misled into thinking that both Republicans and Democrats supported his invitation to speak before U.S. Congress about Iran next month, a senior Israeli official suggested Friday, reported Reuters.
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, invited the prime minister to speak before a joint congressional session on the topic of Iran, but some Democrats have said they plan to skip the March 3 speech in protest. The White House has voiced disapproval as well, according to The Hill.
"It appears that the speaker of Congress made a move in which we trusted, but which it ultimately became clear was a one-sided move and not a move by both sides," said Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Tzachi Hanegbi, in an interview with a Tel Aviv radio station.
Democrats are "pained" by the pending speech, Hanegbi said, and Israel is making a "huge effort to make clear to them that this is not a move that flouts the president of the United States."
Boehner's invitation also angered the White House, who said it would not meet with Netanyahu during his visit. By Boehner, instead of the president, inviting a foreign leader to speak in front of Congress, a protocol was breached, the Obama administration said.
The fact that the event comes just two weeks before Israeli elections, and that Netanyahu is expected to criticize U.S. policy on Iran by likely calling for more sanctions, further compounded the issue.
But when Hanegbi was asked if the speech would be cancelled or postponed, he said, "What would the outcome be then? The outcome would be that we forsake an arena in which there is going to be a very dramatic decision [on Iran]."
For more than 20 years, Netanyahu has warned the world that Iran is 3 to 5 years from being able to produce a nuclear weapon, each time calling for the threat to be "uprooted by an international front headed by the U.S.," according to the Christian Science Monitor.
Minority Leader of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday that the event was "politicized" and she wished it would be cancelled, reported Reuters.
The main issue at play is a belief among lawmakers that Netanyahu could attempt to convince more congressional members to support increased sanctions on Iran. Obama has said that additional sanctions at this time would only harm the ongoing nuclear disarmament negotiation process and has promised to veto any bill that would increase sanctions.
If Netanyahu could convince enough lawmakers that additional sanctions are needed, Obama's veto could be overcome with a two-thirds vote.
"The Republicans know, as the president has already made clear, that he will veto this legislation," Hanegbi said. "So in order to pass legislation that overcomes the veto, two-thirds are required in the Senate. So if the prime minister can persuade another one or two, or another three or four, this could have weight."
