AIPAC hails ‘overwhelmingly bipartisan’ attendance

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) commends what it describes as “the overwhelmingly bipartisan attendance and positive response to Netanyahu’s address to the joint meeting of Congress.”

In a statement issued hours after the conclusion of the speech launched a hailstorm of responses around Washington, the organization writes that “the Prime Minister’s message to Congress and the American people is critical at a moment when there is a danger that an agreement will be reached that fails to dismantle Iran’s program such that it does not have a path to a nuclear weapon.”

Thousands of AIPAC members came to Capitol Hill Tuesday for a lobbying push that traditionally marks the conclusion of the group’s annual policy conference. As Netanyahu spoke, AIPAC supporters watched the address in Congressional offices and pushed for a series of legislative initiatives to toughen the US negotiating stance against Iran.

AIPAC echos its members’ talking points in the statement, declaring that “Congress must assert its historic foreign policy role, review any agreement, and object if a bad agreement is reached.” President Barack Obama has threatened to veto just such legislation. Netanyahu’s speech was originally believed to be part of a push to guarantee that any such bill would garner enough majority to override a certain presidential veto.

— Rebecca Shimoni-Stoil