Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer Photo by Shmuel Almany[/caption]Israels ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, has been busy emailing and calling several Arab ambassadors, asking them to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus speech before a joint session of the US Congress next week.
Netanyahu is expected tofocus his remarks onhis opposition tothe still-hypothetical international deal withIran overtheir nuclear program, and The Atlantic magazine is reporting that Dermer is purportedly focusing his pleas tothe Arab ambassadors onwhat, he claims, is a common goal Israel and the Arab nations have instopping Iran fromobtaining nuclear arms.
Nevertheless, none ofthe ambassadors have responded inthe affirmative. Which might not be surprising, taking intoconsideration the unprecedented level ofcontroversy surrounding Netanyahus visit. Coming just two weeks beforethe Israeli elections, the Israeli leader, struggling tokeep his post, will arrive toWashington atthe invitation ofcongressional Republicans, who broke protocol bynot consulting withthe White House or withDemocratic colleagues beforeinviting him.
The White House has said President Obama will not meet withNetanyahu because they dont want toappear totake sides so close tothe Israeli elections, and the White House made it clear that the visit will seriously complicate mutual relations. According toObamas National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the visit "injected a degree ofpartisanship, which is not only unfortunate. I think it's destructive ofthe fabric ofthe relationship, she said inan interview withCharlie Rose.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu turned downan invitation bytwo US senators tomeet withSenate Democrats duringhis visit toWashington.
"Though I greatly appreciate your kind invitation tomeet withDemocratic Senators, I believe that doing so atthis time could compound the misperception ofpartisanship regarding my upcoming visit," Netanyahu wrote ina letter toSenators Richard Durbin and Dianne Feinstein that was first obtained byReuters.
"I can assure you my sole intention inaccepting it was tovoice Israel's grave concerns abouta potential nuclear agreement withIran that could threaten the survival ofmy country, the prime minister said, adding that he would be glad tomeet withSenate Democrats ata later date whenever he gets back intotown.
The question remains, however, whether Netanyahu is still going tobe the Prime Minister afterIsraeli elections.
According tothe Israeli daily Haaretz, his Likud party is losing popularity and might be overshadowed bythe Zionist Union, headed bymore moderate Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni.
By Sputnik News
