Nancy Pelosi warns others may find ‘diary clashes’ after three congressmen confirm absence amid dismay over apparent partisan meddling by Israeli leader

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Three prominent US Democrats have threatened to skip Binyamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress next month amid growing anger over what they perceive as partisan lobbying by the Israeli prime minister.

Netanyahu risked upsetting the usual bipartisan support for Israel on Capitol Hill when he accepted an invitation from the Republican House speaker, John Boehner, to discuss their shared concerns over the US administration’s negotiations with Iran.

The White House said it had not been consulted over the invitation, which it called a breach of diplomatic protocol, and said Barack Obama would not meet the Israeli leader during his trip.

But the rift appears to be spreading this week with representatives John Lewis, GK Butterfield and Earl Blumenauer confirming that they would not be attending the event on 3 March and the minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, warning that others may discover similar “diary clashes”.

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On Wednesday, the White House press secretary, Josh Earnest, refused to even confirm whether Vice-President Joe Biden would attend, saying it would also depend on his availability. As president of the Senate, the vice-president normally sits behind visiting heads of state when they make a joint address to both chambers of Congress.

Irritation among Democrats at what they see as being forced to choose between supporting Israel or supporting their president boiled over into outright anger on Wednesday night as the veteran New York congressman Charles Rangel used his speech at the annual press club congressional dinner to stage a mock phone call with Netanyahu, berating him for interfering in domestic US politics.

Netanyahu and Boehner both fear that the suspension of Iranian sanctions during talks aimed at preventing it from developing nuclear weapons have weakened international resolve to contain the threat and would like to see Congress pass legislation authorising new sanctions if a deal is not reached.

But Obama and other western allies, such as Britain and France, have warned that even passing such legislation would give Iranian conservatives an excuse to walk away from the talks and lead to military confrontation instead.

The Israeli embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment from the Guardian but is said to have been holding unsuccessful talks on Capitol Hill to try to repair relations with Democrats.

Pelosi insisted those choosing not to attend should not be described as boycotters.



“I don’t think anybody should use the word ‘boycott’,” she told reporters. “When these heads of state come, people are here doing their work, they’re trying to pass legislation, they’re meeting with their constituents and the rest. It’s not a high-priority item for them,” she said.



“I think it’s an affront to the president and the State Department what the speaker did,” congressman John Lewis, one of those saying he will not attend, told Associated Press.

Congressman Butterfield told AP he was “very disappointed the speaker would cause such a ruckus” with the invitation.



Blumenauer, who last week called on Boehner to cancel the joint session with Netanyahu, said: “It’s deeply troubling that the speaker is willing to undercut diplomacy in exchange for theatrics on the House floor.”