President Obama will not sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits Washington in March to address a joint session of Congress, the White House said Friday.
In a brazen move, House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday invited Netanyahu to address Congress about the threat posed by Islamic extremism and his opposition to U.S. negotiations with Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program.
Obama and Netanyahu have had a rocky relationship over the past few years, and tensions between the two show no signs of a thaw.
The Israeli publication Haaretz reported Friday that Obama has insisted that Netanyahu stop encouraging U.S. senators and congressmen to advance a new sanctions bill against Iran, arguing that it would disrupt ongoing talks with Iran.
Netanyahu shows no signs of backing down, and Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly plan to not meet with him during his visit.
“He spat in our face. There will be a price,” the paper quotes a U.S. official as saying.
Earnest on Friday said Obama has a good reason not to sit down with Netanyahu during that visit: He doesn’t want to influence Israel’s election, which is set to take place two weeks afterward.
“We have no interest in even appearing to interfere or influence the outcome of a democratic election in another country,” Earnest said.
