Netanyahu invited to give Mideast peace speech before U.S. Congress

[Jefferson23]

Premier reportedly procured the invitation to speak before Congress due to the support of Republican officials; speech seen as response to Obama's planned Mideast policy speech.

By Barak Ravid

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give a Mideast peace policy speech in front of U.S. Congress in late May, Haaretz learned on Thursday, in an attempt to counter a speech expected to deal with U.S. Mideast policy by President Barack Obama.

The office of U.S. House Speaker John Boehner confirmed the report, saying Boehner's will invite Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress during a visit to Washington next month.

U.S.-led peace talks, launched six months ago with the goal of striking a final deal by September 2011, broke down shortly after they began over Israeli construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The Palestinians demanded a freeze in both areas, which the Palestinians claim for a state, along with the Gaza Strip.

Israel refused to yield to that demand, insisting that previous rounds of talks took place while settlement construction was under way, such a precondition was unprecedented, and the issue should be settled in negotiations.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-invited-to-give-mideast-peace-speech-before-u-s-congress-1.355981

[WCGreen]

1. That's wonderful

Having an ass hole from bum fuck Ohio sticking his nose into the foreign policy because the right wing Armageddon fans want Israel to be attacked to full fill some prophesy from a nut job living in a cave...

[Scurrilous]

2. Eric Cantor Runs Interference for Bibi

<snip>

"Leave it to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA). With President Barack Obama expected to deliver a major speech outlining a new (or, at least, revised) Middle East peace strategy soon, Cantor decided it was time to invite Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to deliver a speech before a joint session of Congress.

This is one of the benefits of having a Republican House at the same time that a Likud prime minister is in office in Israel. The two right-wing parties can work together to thwart any Democratic president's attempt to advance U.S. national security by brokering Middle East peace.

The last time this happened was in the 1990s, when Bill Clinton was president, Newt Gingrich was speaker, and the self-same Netanyahu was Israel's prime minister. Netanyahu, joyously anticipating Clinton's defeat for a second term, worked with the Republicans to subvert Clinton. Douglas Bloomfield, AIPAC's long-time legislative director, recalled:

No Israeli leader was as adept at playing partisan American politics, nor as disruptive as the American-educated Netanyahu, who understood the politics of divided government. Even before becoming prime minister, he joined forces with Gingrich against common enemies: then-President Bill Clinton, Rabin and the Oslo peace process. Their goal was to make sure all three failed.

Gingrich was happy to play this game with Netanyahu, but he is more than matched by Cantor, who is not only a pro-Likud zealot but has also publicly admitted that he would use his position to help Netanyahu withstand any pressure from his own President."

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[Jefferson23]

3. Thanks for the addition Scurrilous .

:hi:

[azurnoir]

4. well it could seem that there is a

competition to see who supports Israel the mostest

[Scurrilous]

5. Top Republicans to welcome Netanyahu, who called 9-11 attacks "very good"

Full title: "Top Republicans to welcome Netanyahu, who called 9-11 attacks “very good,” said anti-US terror helps Israel"

<snip>

"In three weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington to address Congress at the invitation of Republican Majority Speaker John Boehner. The appearance was designed to undermine President Barack Obama, with Netanyahu, the ardent Republican from suburban Philadelphia, hectoring the Palestinians and the Iranian regime while pledging an eternal war against terror. Before a uniformly supportive Congress, the cocksure Netanyahu had hoped to present a stark contrast to Obama, the unpopular ditherer mired in bad economic news and a messy military stalemate in Libya.

With the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, a hit personally authorized by Obama, the tables have turned. Netanyahu rushed to complement the American president, and he will inevitably be compelled to praise him again and again when he arrives in Washington. This is one reason why Akiva Eldar wrote that Bin Laden’s killing was “bad news for Bibi.”

But even before he had announced his upcoming trip to Washington, Netanyahu offered evidence that he would prefer for Bin Laden to be alive and kicking. In the immediate wake of 9-11, the New York Times’ James Bennett asked Netanyahu what the attacks would mean for Israel’s relations with the United States. “It’s very good,” Bibi replied before quickly correcting himself. ”Well, not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy.” Netanyahu said the attack would ‘’strengthen the bond between our two peoples, because we’ve experienced terror over so many decades, but the United States has now experienced a massive hemorrhaging of terror."

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[LeftishBrit]

6. That will be a short speech. But any peace speech by Boehner would be considerably shorter.