The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has criticized Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman for suggesting that Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) rescind his invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to speak before Congress and that Netanyahu rescind his acceptance.
On March 3, Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress on the Iranian nuclear issue and radical Islam. The White House claimed Boehner breached “protocol” by not consulting with President Barack Obama on the invitation, while Boehner said Congress “can make this decision on its own” and that Obama “papered over” the Iranian nuclear threat during his recent State of the Union address. In that speech, Obama vowed to veto a new Iran sanctions bill.
Foxman said the invitation extended by Boehner “looks like a political challenge to the White House and/or a campaign effort in Israel. … I certainly support the sanctions [on Iran] if the [diplomatic] deal doesn’t come through, but having said that, the invitation and acceptance is ill-advised for either side. It is too important an issue to politicize it.” Foxman also said Boehner should disinvite Netanyahu and that the prime minister should “unaccept,” JTA reported.
“I see the White House giving both parties a ladder to climb down by saying this is a protocol breach. I hope they accept it,” said Foxman.
ZOA National Director Morton Klein said in a statement, “At a time when the U.S. Congress is holding hearings on sanctions against Iran, a terrorist regime which is getting close to developing nuclear weapons and a regime which repeatedly threatens to destroy Israel and massacre its 6 million Jews, the advice, wisdom, and experience of Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu is desperately needed. … How dare ADL’s Abe Foxman harm the U.S., Israel’s, and the world’s efforts to fight these monstrous dangers by insulting the Prime minister of the Jewish state and the U.S. Congress by demanding Speaker Boehner rescind this important invitation.”
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Foxman gets it; Klein doesn’t. This would be like Barack Obama coming to Israel without telling Netanyahu at the invitation of Isaac Herzog and giving a speech to a Labor Party convention. Everyone would be justifiably outraged.
And how is this an antisemitism issue that foxman feels the need to throw his considerable weight around on?
Excuse me number 1 pelosi visited Assad pretty sure much worse than inviting a important ally and besides UK pm got a lot more involved in our politics then bibi ever did so you could have the same complaint on obama
charlie how is speaking to the US Congress the same as speaking to a political convention