PM formally accepts invitation to address special joint session of Congress, but will do so as a part of two-fold trip to Washington.
US President Barack Obama will not receive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March at the White House, his administration said on Thursday, due to the proximity of his visit to Israel\’s elections.
"As a matter of long-standing practice and principle, we do not see heads of state or candidates in close proximity to their elections, so as to avoid the appearance of influencing a democratic election in a foreign country," Bernadette Meehan, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in an e-mail.
Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress during his visit, at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), on Israel\’s position on negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
The Israeli prime minister has publicly advocated for increasing pressure on Iran during the negotiations, and is expected to support a bill under consideration in the Congress that would trigger new sanctions on Iran should the talks fail.
"The president has been clear about his opposition to Congress passing new legislation on Iran that could undermine our negotiations and divide the international community," Meehan added. "The president has had many conversations with the Prime Minister on this matter, and I am sure they will continue to be in contact on this and other important matters.”
Netanyahu on Thursday formally accepted an invitation to address the Congress, but will do so as a part of a trip to Washington in early March to attend the AIPAC conference, and not as part of a special trip to DC just for that occasion in mid-February.