BIBI WATCH: Pelosi ‘Saddened’ By ‘Condescension’ To US By Netanyahu

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014, to introduce the Democratic leadership team for the 114th Congress. Democrats re-elected... House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014, to introduce the Democratic leadership team for the 114th Congress. Democrats re-elected Pelosi to another two-year term as House minority leader on Tuesday, two weeks after elections in which the party lost at least a dozen seats in the chamber. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) MORE LESS
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Tuesday criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech and his portrayal of the United States’ knowledge of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“The unbreakable bonds between the United States and Israel are rooted in our shared values, our common ideals and mutual interests,” Pelosi said in a Tuesday statement following Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. “That is why, as one who values the U.S. – Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears throughout the Prime Minister’s speech – saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5 +1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation.”

Pelosi said that the U.S. is committed to stopping a nuclear-armed Iran.

“Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated something we all agree upon: a nuclear armed Iran is unacceptable to both our countries. We have all said that a bad deal is worse than no deal, and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons is the bedrock of our foreign policy and national security,” she said. “As President Obama has said consistently, all options are on the table for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.”

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) said he disagreed with Pelosi’s assessment of Netanyahu’s speech.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech was not condescending,” Sherman said in a Tuesday statement. “Every speech contains passages which remind the audience of facts they already know, and conclusions with which they already agree. That is not condescension; that is oratory. The Prime Minister’s speech did contain some new insight that Congress should carefully consider, though it did not contain a clear roadmap of to how to force Iran to accept a reasonable deal.”

This post has been updated.

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