(JTA) — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress nearly brought her to tears because it insulted the intelligence of the United States.
In a statement issued soon after Netanyahu’s March 3 speech, Pelosi (D-Calif.) emphasized the “unbreakable bonds” between the United States and Israel but continued, “That is why, as one who values the U.S.-Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears throughout the Prime Minister’s speech — saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5+1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation.”
The P5+1 is the acronym for the six major powers negotiating with Iran: the United States, Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain.
After Netanyahu spoke, an Obama administration official told CNN that Netanyahu offered nothing new.
“Literally not one new idea, not one single concrete alternative; all rhetoric, no action,” the network quoted an anonymous senior administration official as saying.
President Barack Obama himself has said that the fallout from the speech will not cause permanent damage. Obama told Reuters on Monday that he would meet Netanyahu again soon after Israel’s March 17 elections if Netanyahu is reelected.
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