Republican John Boehner, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and an ardent backer of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will visit Israel at the end of this month, diplomatic sources said on Friday. The visit will follow Netanyahu's surprise election victory this week and his speech to Congress earlier this month at Boehner's invitation, an event that aggravated the White House and drew sharp criticism. The date of Boehner's visit with a congressional delegation has not been set but it will occur this month, diplomats said. Officials in the prime minister's office and at the U.S. embassy in Israel had no immediate comment. Boehner angered President Barack Obama and other Democrats by inviting Netanyahu to address Congress just two weeks before the Israeli election. Arrangements were made without informing the White House, and Netanyahu used the speech to criticize the Obama administration's efforts to strike a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. In his election campaign, Netanyahu further upset the White House by disavowing an earlier commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also said Israel's Arab minority was being mobilized by left-wing groups to vote against him, an accusation that drew charges of racism from opponents and which White House spokesman Josh Earnest called "divisive." Since his win, Netanyahu has backtracked on the rhetoric, saying on U.S. television on Thursday that he supported a two-state solution when the conditions were right. Obama made a congratulatory phone call to the prime minister on Thursday. But the White House has said it will "reassess" its options on U.S.-Israeli ties given Netanyahu's remarks on Palestinian statehood, indicating the heightened tensions between the leaders.
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1LziilT
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1LziilT
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