Breaking: Obama will not meet with Netanyahu during trip to Washington.

did with the Swedish FM.

Israel Told Swedish FM They Would Not Secure Her Visit

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113492987

He always travels with his own security personnel.

warmongerer should be relegated to the other end of Pennsylvania Ave. with his R/W apologists.

Let him and his Republican congressional buddies have their little wank-off and ignore them.

this is some kind of dis? The White House has a policy of not meeting with heads of state when it's this close to their elections. This policy has been in place for quite some time. But go ahead and knock yourselves out:

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-won-t-meet-with-netanyahu-during-controversial-u-s--visit-173809042.html

President Barack Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter's controversial March 3 visit to Washington, the White House announced Thursday, saying it risked looking like the Administration was trying to influence Israel's March 17 elections.

"The president will not be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu because of the proximity to the Israeli election, which is just two weeks after his planned address to the U.S. Congress," National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a emailed statement.

But, like you, I don't see this as a snub, and there is no indication Netanyahu even requested to meet with the President, nor was invited by the President. Tempest in a teapot from the Republicans, sipped in cups by a certain group.

It's nonsense but let em have their fun. His address to congress will be quite enough.

Some things never change.

I wonder how many more threads will be started...7 so far.

I am enjoying those who are so closed minded they think you can't be pro-Israel and anti-Bibi.

Don't be coy. Come out and make your accusations.

And Bibi's security should be disarmed while here. No motorcade, no nothin'


(Unless the GOP wants to foot the bill. )

aren't petty whiny children.

I would expect our lawmakers to act above such juvenile bullshit - I think Bibi acted like an imbecile when he said they couldn't secure a head of state (Sweden, I think) recently. I would hope our lawmakers wouldn't be such assholes.

require a sarcasm emoticon?

This is nothing but a joint Netanyahu-GOP fundraiser, and should be treated as such. It would be a big plus , in my eyes for any lawmaker to skip this little party.For the speaker to call for a joint session is very questionable.

No "dis " to Obama, the GOP is incapable of doing so.

So I kind of take back what I thought the situation was before, given the change of date.

It is not Israel interfering in American politics, it is now the GOP interfering in Israeli politics.

We'll do lunch...someday.

to matter after addressing both houses of congress?

(that's exactly two weeks before the election). The GOP is trying to get him reelected. I hope they fail spectacularly.

America.

Will not meet him.
Goid point.

I did not look at the link...AOL owned HuffPo does wierd stuff to my computer.

knowing the White House and its major Secretaries are not going to meet with him.. because it is so close to an election.. that is the question that should be asked..and I think most of us with half a brain have figured out the reason behind it..

It's not just to embarrass Obama. They are meddling in the Israeli elections intentionally I think.

It wouldn't do for a Labor PM to be elected because they might try to negotiate with the Palestinians and that would deflate the GOP's entire line against Obama regarding Israel.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahu-to-couple-congressional-address-with-appearance-at-AIPAC-parley-in-March-388636

Israel election is March 17.

"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.”

Shortly after the White House announcement, the State Department also cited the proximity to Israel's elections for the reason that US Secretary of State John Kerry will not meet with Netanyahu during the Washington visit.

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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.

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The invitation to Netanyahu in the name of the bipartisan leadership of the House of Representatives and Senate caused a kerfuffle, with some Netanyahu critics saying the Republicans were meddling in Israel's elections, and others that Boehner was using Netanyahu to wage a battle with Obama over Iran sanctions.

The White House said it was surprised that it was not informed in advance – either by Boehner or Israeli officials – of the visit, and that this was a breach of protocol.

In an apparent effort to rectify the situation, on Wednesday evening, after Boehner confirmed the speech to Congress could be moved from February 11 to March 3, Israel contacted the White House to inform it of the change of plans.

The statement put out by the PMO announcing Netanyahu's formal acceptance of the invitation, and the change of date, stressed that in his speeches both to Congress and AIPAC the Prime Minister would “thank President Obama, Congress and the American people for their support of Israel.”

nt