Major Israel supporters in Congress "deeply troubled" by Netanyahu

Laura Rosen/ here

"..... Jewish members of Congress are invited to meet with him Tuesday, as they often are when he and other Israeli prime ministers are in town. Invites went out this morning from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca.) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

Privately, several pro-Israel Congressional Democrats and their staffs have expressed sympathy for the administration's sense of betrayal that the Israeli government made a provocative housing announcement regarding East Jerusalem just two days after the Palestinians finally agreed to go into U.S.-mediated proximity talks with the Israelis, even short of a full Israeli settlement halt, after months of American diplomatic heavy lifting.

"How different is it from the game Netanyahu played during his last stint in office?" one staffer said yesterday. "Members -- even major Israel supporters -- are deeply troubled by it.".....

Some Hill staffers said the Jewish members' invitation to meet Netanyahu did not constitute a leaning to him in the current dispute, ....... Some Democratic Hill staffers and members saw the upcoming meeting as an opportunity for the administration to clarfy and round up support for its position in advance of the meeting so Netanyahu gets a united message.

"As for support, check on the coverage of his last visit with them," another Hill staffer said.

Asked if the administration is being uncomfortably tough with Israel in its public rebukes, one pro-Israel Congressional Democrat told POLITICO yesterday that he wasn't overly concerned. "It’s the only way sometimes to get the parties’ attention. In the end, the Israelis have got to know that the status quo is unsustainable.”