Nat’l Security Adviser: Netanyahu’s Speech ‘Destructive’ To US-Israel Relations

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National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Tuesday sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned address to the U.S. Congress as “destructive” to U.S.-Israeli relations.

Rice told PBS’ Charlie Rose that while the relationship between the U.S. and Israel “has always been bipartisan,” politics have marred that alliance since House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) invited Netanyahu to speak before Congress without consulting the White House.

“What has happened over the last several weeks, by virtue of the invitation that was issued by the speaker and the acceptance of it by Prime Minister Netanyahu two weeks in advance of his election, is that on both sides, there has now been injected a degree of partisanship,” Rice said.

“It’s not only unfortunate, it’s destructive of the fabric of the relationship,” she added.

Netanyahu on Tuesday turned down an invitation to meet privately with Senate Democrats when he comes to Washington. In declining the invitation from Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the prime minister wrote that such a meeting “could compound the misperception of partisanship regarding my upcoming visit.”

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  1. Avatar for jinnj jinnj says:

    Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress ‘Destructive’
    … precisely what Boehner and Netanyahu want it to be!

  2. So when does bonehead start sending bombers and troops to iran?? Before or after he takes the oath of presidency?
    Or did he already make himself the the “ole knowing one”?

  3. I am very concerned for the future of Israel. Deliberately antagonizing the United States administration is precisely the wrong thing for the Israeli government to do. Netanyahu has become completely untethered from reality. He should be voted out of office.

  4. Jewghazi!!!

  5. Avatar for 1972gd 1972gd says:

    The thing that pisses me off the most about this situation is knowing how the U.S.'s right-wing television, right-wing radio, right-wing blogs and right-wing newspapers will all be screaming, the moment Netanyahu’s speech is done, about how the willy-kneed Obama is is enabling Iran’s nuclear weapons program, how Obama’s weakness and his ‘leading from behind’ have placed Iran on the precipice of having nuclear weapons, how he has abandoned Israel and how the imminent accord with Iran must be stopped. I guarantee most of those outlets have those very stories in the can already, just waiting to pounce. Because, you know, they love America so much.

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