Likud Knesset Member Danny Danon has called on party leader and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to boycott Wednesday evening’s annual U.S. Independence Day reception. He said that most coalition MKs will join him to protest what he called American contempt towards Israel.

The American holiday falls on July 4, which this year coincides with the Sabbath. The annual reception will be held at the home of American Ambassador James Cunningham in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.

“We are bringing a clear message to the United States" that their politicians were not elected to tell Israel what to do, he told Voice of Israel government radio Wednesday morning. MK Danon is one of numerous Israeli officials who are increasingly expressing anger at declarations by the Obama administration that Israel must halt all building for Jews in Judea and Samaria.

MK Danon rejected the idea to escalate the boycott and halt cooperation with the U.S. in the field of defense and intelligence, explaining that “our ties are deep and strong.”

Foreign influence on Israeli policies was further highlighted this week by reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he should dismiss Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu). The French president also said that Kadima leader MK Tzipi Livni made a mistake by not joining the coalition government.