White House may snub AIPAC conference: Officials
The White House is considering ways to undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington including boycotting the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobbying group, officials say.
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner has invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on March 3 against Iran without consulting the White House or the State Department.
Boehner has been criticized by President Barack Obama and members of Congress many of whom say the timing of this invitation “appears to be an attempt to promote new sanctions legislation against Iran that could undermine critical negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran."
It was first decided that Obama will deliver a speech himself on Iran to refute the two speeches Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver during his visit, an idea which has been discarded now, according to The Associated Press.
However, there are other options still available. One of them is for Obama to have an interview with a prominent journalist known for covering the rift between the president and Netanyahu.
Another possibility is to have multiple Sunday television shows attended by senior national security aides which would snub America's leading pro-Israel lobby, according to officials. AIPAC is holding its annual meeting while Netanyahu is in Washington, DC.
The Obama administration has already said there would be no meeting between Obama and Netanyahu, arguing it would not be appropriate to hold such a meeting as Israel is approaching its March 17 elections.
However, the White House now says it plans to dispatch Cabinet members out of the country and instead send a lower-ranking official than normal to attend the annual policy conference of the AIPAC, the officials said on condition of anonymity.
Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver an anti-Iran speech to Congress despite calls for its cancellation.
Obama is opposed to Netanyahu's trip to Washington at a time when Tehran and the P5+1 states - the US, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany - are engaged in talks. He says the trip is aimed primarily at derailing a nuclear deal with Iran.
AT/GJH
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