“US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced a Senate resolution welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States when he addresses a joint session of Congress next month,” Thursday’s statement read.
The Texas Senator said that he was hopeful that his colleagues would also welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu for the opportunity to work with Congress on shared security interests.
US President Barack Obama, US State Department Secretary John Kerry and some members of Congress have already said that they would not attend Netanyahu’s speech, which falls two weeks before Israel’s elections on March 17, fearing that attending would appear as if they were influencing the elections.
Netanyahu’s address to Congress comes as international efforts are underway to reach an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program before a July deadline.
Congress is working on imposing tougher sanctions on Iran, which the Obama administration has said would undermine negotiations with Iran at a critical juncture. Obama has also said he would veto any additional sanctions passed by Congress.
