From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 2, 2015
Should Netanyahu speak before Congress?
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15-second question: Should Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu go through with his speech before Congress in March?
Ayelet Shaked: It’s a difficult situation because of the administration… Frankly, I don’t have the details and the scope of his trip. If he thinks it is crucial, he should do it. If it’s political — then of course not.
Michael Oren: When it comes to the Iranian nuclear problem, there’s no right and left. The same Israeli leader has no less substance of duty to preserve Israel’s ties with the US… So I humbly suggest, make the case, but not through that venue. You have the AIPAC conference….
Yaakov Peri: Benjamin Netanyahu shouldn’t interfere in the internal issues of the United States. Even if Obama is not our greatest friend (I am choosing my words carefully), the US is our greatest ally. It’s a political speech… every congressman and every congresswoman knows the views about Iran, which I share.
Hilik Bar: If Netanyahu’s speech damages or endangers the trust between us and the president of our greatest ally, it’s not worth it.
Tamar Zandberg: The Iranian threat is such a threat and Netanyahu’s plan is so successful that he managed to draw all the support even of the Democrat Congress members… I don’t see how this speech can help; even Fox News is skeptical about this political visit. It’s not an “if,” it’s a fact: This visit has become a strategic crisis. I don’t think the lack of trust can go any lower, but it’s not late to avoid this fiasco. I don’t know if it’s going to help Netanyahu’s elections, but it will damage relations between the two countries and this shouldn’t be done.
The Times of Israel Community.