Feb. 26--U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston, the only Jewish member of Illinois' congressional delegation, will not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech Tuesday before a joint session of Congress, the Democrat said in a statement Thursday.
Schakowsky, who joins a number of lawmakers who have made it known they will sit out the speech, said she agrees with criticism of the decision by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to invite Netanyahu two weeks before Israeli elections without consulting President Barack Obama or Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
She said she is more concerned about the speech scuttling delicate negotiations with Iran to prevent it from building a nuclear weapon.
Schakowsky said she also is concerned about the damage that has been done to bipartisan support for Israel.
"This is not the first time that the Republicans have tried to divide the Democrats and paint themselves as the only true supporters of Israel," she said. "The reality is that, when it comes to tangible deliverables, the Obama administration has been unfailing in its cooperation with Israel -- more so than most, if not all, administrations over the last 40 years."
Schakowsky said she still hoped the speech could be postponed or delivered in closed session.
"As a Jew, support for Israel is in my DNA," she said in her statement.
kskiba@tribpub.com
