Statement of U.S. Rep. Jim Mcgovern (Ma02) on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's Speech to Joint Session of U.S. Congress
Washington, DC,
February 26, 2015
Tags:
Foreign Policy
After giving this issue a great deal of thought, I have decided not to attend the Prime Minister’s speech.
After giving this issue a great deal of thought, I have decided not to attend the Prime Minister’s speech. I have been and will continue to be a strong supporter of Israel, but the timing and circumstances of this speech are deeply troubling. For Speaker Boehner to use our relationship with Israel to score partisan political points is wrong. And for him to purposefully exclude the Obama Administration from the invitation is a serious breach of protocol and of common sense. The House chamber should not be used as a platform for a foreign leader to run his re-election campaign. I hope Speaker Boehner will heed the calls from those of us in the House who have urged him to at least delay the Prime Minister’s speech until after the Israeli election and after the Iran nuclear negotiations deadline. ### |