White House, Citing Israeli Election, Says Obama and Netanyahu Won’t Meet

LAWRENCE, Kan. — President Obama will not meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel when he travels to Washington in March to address a joint session of Congress, the White House said on Thursday, citing a policy against receiving foreign leaders close to their elections.

Speaker John A. Boehner discusses his decision to ask Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to address Congress without consulting the White House, saying he is not “poking anyone in the eye.”

The New York Times