By Julie Hirschfeld Davis
Susan E. Rice, President Obama’s national
security adviser, sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of
Israel on Tuesday over his plans to address a joint meeting of Congress next
week, saying his actions had hurt his nation’s relationship with the United
States.
Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to travel to Washington
to deliver the speech two weeks before the Israeli elections has “injected a
degree of partisanship, which is not only unfortunate, I think it’s destructive
of the fabric of the relationship,” Ms. Rice said in an interview on the PBS
television program “Charlie Rose.”
Her comments marked the strongest public rebuke
to date by the Obama administration since Mr. Netanyahu accepted an invitation
from Speaker John A. Boehner to make his case to Congress against a nuclear
deal with Iran, which is a priority of Mr. Obama’s. It is also the frankest
acknowledgment yet by a top American official of the degree to which the
controversy has damaged United States-Israeli relations.
The speech, scheduled for March 3, was arranged
by Mr. Boehner and the Israeli ambassador without consulting the White House —
a move that Mr. Obama’s team has called a breach of protocol.
The president has said he will not meet with Mr.
Netanyahu during his visit to avoid any appearance that he is trying to
influence the Israeli elections that are scheduled for mid-March.
The episode is a low point in the tense
relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu and has touched off weeks of
mostly anonymous sniping and finger-pointing.
Top administration officials have hinted more
openly of their displeasure in recent days.
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who as
president of the Senate would be expected to attend, has said he will be
traveling abroad. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that he would be
in Switzerland negotiating with the Iranians. The White House has also not
committed to sending a representative next week to the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee’s conference, where Mr. Netanyahu is also scheduled to
appear.
The Israeli prime minister himself has turned
down a request by Democratic senators for a private meeting, Senator Richard J.
Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said Tuesday.
“We offered the prime minister an opportunity to
balance the politically divisive invitation from Speaker Boehner with a private
meeting with Democrats who are committed to keeping the bipartisan support of
Israel strong,” Mr. Durbin said in a statement. “His refusal to meet is
disappointing to those of us who have stood by Israel for decades.”
In a letter released by Mr. Durbin’s office, Mr.
Netanyahu said such a meeting “could compound the misperception of partisanship
regarding my upcoming visit.”
Mr. Netanyahu said Tuesday that he was making
the trip because it was his obligation to “do everything I can to prevent” a
nuclear agreement with Iran.
“Therefore, I will go to Washington to address
the American Congress, because the American Congress is likely to be the final
brake before the agreement between the major powers and Iran,” he said as he
toured a military base in southern Israel.
Ms. Rice demurred when asked whether she
believed Mr. Netanyahu was making the speech to gain political favor.
“I’m not going to ascribe motives to the prime
minister,” she told Mr. Rose. “The point is, we want the relationship between
the United States and Israel to be unquestionably strong, immutable, regardless
of political seasons in either country, regardless of which party may be in
charge in either country.
“We’ve worked very hard to have that,” she said,
“and we will work very hard to maintain that.”
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий