WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner is heading to Israel as strained relations between the White House and newly re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit a new low this week.
An aide insisted that Boehner’s trip — during the two-week congressional recess that begins March 30 — was planned before new rifts developed over Netanyahu’s address to Congress and the prime minister’s remarks this week about the peace process. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to publicly disclose details of the trip.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said he remains committed to Palestinian statehood, after saying earlier there could be no Palestinian state while regional violence and chaos persist. President Barack Obama called Netanyahu to congratulate him on his re-election but also told the Israeli leader that the U.S. is reassessing its approach to Israeli-Palestinian peace in light of his comments.
On Capitol Hill on Thursday, Boehner, R-Ohio, mocked the administration’s chilly reaction to Netanyahu’s election victory. Asked about Obama’s lukewarm response, Boehner said, “Lukewarm?” and laughed heartily.
