Boehner defends Netanyahu upcoming speech in US

US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner has defended the upcoming speech by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite growing criticism leveled against him.

Boehner invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on March 3 against Iran without the approval of the White House. US National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Thursday that Netanyahu's acceptance of Boehner’s invitation is “destructive” to the Israeli-American ties.

Boehner said that he completely disagrees with the Obama administration’s assertion that Netanyahu’s talk would negatively affect Washington-Tel Aviv relations.

"The president's national security adviser says it's destructive for the prime minister of Israel to address the United States Congress. I couldn't disagree more," Boehner said at his weekly news conference on Thursday.

"The American people and both parties in Congress have always stood with Israel and nothing, and no one, could get in the way," the Republican leader said.

However, Paul Larudee, an analyst from Berkeley, California, told Press TV on Thursday that the support for Israel lobbies across the United States is declining because the American public is fed up with the arrogant and childish policies of the Israeli prime minister.

Boehner has been criticized by Obama and members of Congress who say the timing of his invitation “appears to be an attempt to promote new sanctions legislation against Iran that could undermine critical negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran."

Iran and the P5+1 group of  states – the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany –  are holding negotiations to narrow remaining differences ahead of a July 1 deadline for the final agreement.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry strongly criticized officials who are speaking against a potential nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic.

In an apparent reference to Netanyahu, Kerry said, “Anybody running around right now, jumping in to say well we don’t like the deal, or this or that, doesn’t know what the deal is.”

However, Boehner Thursday expressed doubts about the ongoing negotiations saying "What is destructive in my view is making a bad deal” with Iran.

He also said he’s glad that “most of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, will be” at next week’s annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobbying group where Netanyahu is scheduled to speak.

According to a Wall Street Journal’s report, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry will boycott the next week’s conference.

The report said White House officials are looking to send any other official who is available to the conference.

AT/AT

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