Pelosi: Democrats May Boycott Netanyahuâ€'s Speech
Robert Naiman
Democrats in the House and the Senate are telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he ought to cancel his planned speech to Congress, Haaretz reports. Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi did not rule out the possibility that many Democratic lawmakers would boycott Netanyahu's speech if it is not cancelled, Haaretz says. Asked if most House Democrats would attend the speech if it goes forward, Pelosi said, “I don’t know." [1]
Oregon Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer has publicly called for the speech to be cancelled and has said that if it is not cancelled, he will not attend. “I will refuse to be part of a reckless act of political grandstanding,” Rep. Blumenauer wrote in the Huffington Post. “I will not participate in a calculated slight from the speaker and the House leadership to attack necessary diplomacy.” [2]
Stand with Leader Pelosi and Rep. Blumenauer. Urge your representatives in Congress to call for the speech to be cancelled, and to pledge not to attend if it is not cancelled, by signing our petition at MoveOn:
Reps. Keith Ellison, Steve Cohen, and Maxine Waters are circulating a letter to Speaker Boehner urging that the speech be postponed until after the Israeli elections. You can read about that here:
Rep. Keith Ellison: Postpone Bibi's Speech to Congress
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/keith-ellison-netanyahu_b_6575504.html
Urge your representatives in Congress to stand with Leader Pelosi and Reps. Blumenauer and Ellison by signing and sharing our petition:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/boycott-bibis-bluster
Thanks for all you do to defend diplomacy,
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
References:
1. “Pelosi vs. Netanyahu's Congress speech: If he wants to talk Iran, he can go on TV; Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi doesn't rule out possibility of lawmakers boycotting Netanyahu's address, which was planned without notifying the White House,” Barak Ravid, Haaretz, Jan. 31, 2015, http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.639998
2. “Speaker Boehner, Cancel Netanyahu's Address to Congress,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Huffington Post, 1/29/2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-earl-blumenauer/speaker-boehner-cancel-ne_b_6570654.html