As the controversy surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu proposed speech to Congress on March 3rd reaches new heights, one of the Jewish community’s top leaders is calling on the Israeli prime minister to stay home, the Jewish Daily Forward reports:
Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti Defamation League, said that the political uproar ignited by Netanyahu’s invitation to speak to a joint meeting of Congress makes such a move unhelpful and therefore it should be scrapped.
In Israel, Labor Party chief and Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog said Netanyahu must cancel his speech to Congress due to the antagonism his address has caused in Washington, the
Times of Israel reports:
“The time has come when Bibi (Netanyahu) must announce the cancellation of his visit to Congress,” Herzog said... “In conversations I’ve held with many European and US leaders, it is clear there is great anger over Netanyahu diverting the discussion on Iran’s nuclear program for political gain, and turning it into a confrontation with the president of the United States."
The Times of Israel says that some 40 Democrats are already expected to boycott Netanyahu’s speech if it goes forward on March 3, a number that could grow. Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) have publicly said that they will not attend the speech if it goes forward on March 3.
Reps. Keith Ellison, Steve Cohen, and Maxine Waters are circulating a letter to Speaker Boehner among their colleagues, urging that the speech be cancelled. The letter is supported by J Street and Americans for Peace Now.
Here’s how you can take action:
1. Join Abe Foxman & Isaac Herzog in calling for the speech to be cancelled by signing and sharing our petition at MoveOn. If you’ve already signed, thank you for taking action! Please share it again to help us get more signers! Every signature generates an email to Congress.
2. Call your Rep. at 202-224-3121 and urge them to sign the Ellison letter urging that the speech be cancelled. If you’ve already called, please call again! Every call counts in shaping the perceptions of Members of Congress.
When you’ve made your call, please report it here.