Susan Rice: Netanyahu’s speech ‘destructive’ to US-Israel ties

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress is “destructive” to the relationship between the United States and Israel, national security advisor Susan Rice said Tuesday night.

{mosads}Appearing on PBS’s “Charlie Rose,” Rice said that the decision of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to invite Netanyahu without consulting the White House, and Netanyahu’s decision to accept, had “injected a degree of partisanship” into the relationship between the two nations.

“Which is not only unfortunate, I think it’s destructive of the fabric of the relationship,” she said.

Rice’s comments might be a sign that the administration is ramping up its criticism of Netanyahu’s visit a week before he speaks to Congress.

The White House is reportedly considering ways to undermine the power of the prime minister’s visit, during which he is expected to issue a rebuke to the president’s Iran policy, including sending administration officials to the Sunday political talk shows.

The administration also hasn’t yet said whether it will be sending a representative to the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.