Rep. Betty McCollum said earlier this month that she wouldn’t attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on March 3, and now she’s written an opinion piece about her decision for the Washington Post.
She calls the speech — orchestrated by House Speaker John Boehner and opposed by President Obama — a “campaign rally.”
She says: “In other words, the speaker of the House has provided the Israeli prime minister with a global platform to both attack our president and deliver a campaign message to voters at home.”
Netanyahu defended his speech, saying it is crucial because Congress is one of the only bodies that can actually stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
McCollum isn’t buying it, saying in the WaPo piece:
On March 17, Israelis will elect a new government. They need to base their vote on their own priorities. It is my hope that Israelis will see Netanyahu’s speech for what it is — a campaign rally. Such a speech should be held on Israeli soil, not on the floor of the U.S. House.
