Top Jewish Democrats are squarely standing by President Obama’s decision not to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warning Israel to butt out of the U.S. presidential race.
”I don’t think it’s necessary for the president to rearrange his schedule,” Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, told The Hill. ”I didn’t think it was appropriate for the prime minister to publicly get into a dispute with the president of the United States, since we’re both very closely working together to impose sanctions and to force Iran to stop its development of a nuclear weapon.”
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee, blamed ”internal Israeli politics” for the spat.
”Maybe Netanyahu’s for (Republican candidate Mitt) Romney. And he’s making a mistake if he is,” Frank told The Hill when asked why he thought Israel had leaked the news of a perceived ”snub” to the Reuters wire service.
”I think it was unwise for him to do as much,” he said. ”I think they’ve pulled back a little bit.”
”I think Obama played it right,” Frank added. ”The Israelis have to consider American public opinion; America’s not ready to go to war until it’s absolutely necessary.
”I think it’s a mistake from Israel’s standpoint if they give the impression they’re trying to push us into going to war. I don’t think any pressure’s going to work.”
And Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), a top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said both sides need to mend fences.
”There are always things that are done on both sides – with us, with the Israelis – for domestic political consumption, for party building,” Engel told The Hill. ”I think there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we are not privy to, and I would hope that in any kind of public rift – or the appearance of any kind of public rift – between the president and the prime minister would be heeled and taken care of behind the scenes. I have confidence that both countries would like to see that.”
