Rep. Jerry McNerney Statement on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Address to Congress

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-09) today issued the following statement on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress on Tuesday, March 3:

“I won’t be attending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Tuesday. I will continue to be a strong supporter of Israel’s national security, but I believe it was wrong for the Prime Minister and Speaker Boehner to arrange this event without informing the White House and Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate. His speech comes amidst diplomatic treaty negotiations intended to curtail Iran’s capability to develop nuclear weapons, and could disrupt any progress that has been made to this point. These negotiations and accompanying sanctions are the primary effort holding back Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear bomb.  We should let the negotiations proceed in good faith while closely monitoring Iran’s actions and only loosen sanctions slowly if we see proof of Iran’s intentions to back away from nuclear weapons capabilities.”