Poll: Majority opposes Netanyahu invite

More than six out of ten Americans believe Republicans were wrong to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without informing President Obama, according to a new CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday.

{mosads}Sixty-three percent of adults disagree with the move, compared with 33 percent who back the invitation from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). A slight majority of Republicans back the decision, compared with only 14 percent of Democrats.

The poll finds that the public has even soured on American involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two-thirds think America should stay on the sidelines, but the vast majority of those who want the country to pick a side support Israel.

Boehner’s invitation sparked a partisan squabble as Democrats decried the move as a political ploy to undermine the president. Critics have warned that Netanyahu’s speech could damage the U.S.-Israeli relationship. Republicans, though, insist they had the right to invite the prime minister.

The Hill counts 25 lawmakers skipping the appearance as of Feb. 17.

Netanyahu emphasized in a statement that he’s not seeking a partisan confrontation with Obama, but instead a discussion with an ally over Iran’s nuclear program.

The prime minister disagrees with Obama’s plan to continue negotiations with the country and fears that Tehran is building nuclear weapons that could threaten Israel’s survival.

A group of senators led by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) authored a plan to impose new sanctions on Iran if an adequate deal isn’t reached. But after protests from the White House, Menendez promised to back off until after the negotiations’ March deadline.