Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the annual August-recess trip to Israel by House freshmen as his last, best hope to push for rejection of President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who returned Monday along with a 22-member delegation, said the group met with Netanyahu for nearly two hours.
“He didn’t tell them to vote one way or another, but it was clear he hopes they will vote against the agreement because it is a bad deal that will allow Iran to have a path to a nuclear bomb in 13 years. He said, ‘It is not my place to tell you how to vote. It is up to you – but my opinion is…’” Hoyer said on Monday.
“He heads a state that is protecting a people that was savaged for millennia,” Hoyer said. “Everybody in the free world has said Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu believes it is an existential threat, so he is taking every step necessary. I am not surprised he will feel it is critically important enough to take steps that might ruffle political feathers. It is reasonable.”
Republicans are in Israel this week. Most lawmakers making the trip have already voiced their opposition to the plan.
“I only wish that our president had the same depth of understanding that Mr. Netanyahu does about the core dynamics of the Middle East and the parties involved,” said Rep. Trent Franks, R-AZ.
If all Republicans in Congress oppose the deal, a veto override would require 43 Democratic votes in the House and 13 in the Senate. Democrats suffered a loss last week after key lawmakers Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY, publicly opposed the deal.
Israel understands that its efforts to block the deal may still prove fruitless. Even if the deal goes ahead, it does not leave Israel defenseless, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin was quick to assert.
“As a strong democratic country in the region, Israel will do all that is necessary to defend itself. In this crucial time all Israelis know that Israel does not stand alone,” he said.
B.k. Johnson ·Glad I'm not the only one that thinks obama is worthless?