Israelis rally outside of the US consul in NYC against Netanyahu's speech.
By REUTERSProtesters rally against Netanyahu speech
A dozen Israeli Jews chanted "Netanyahu doesn't speak for me" outside Israel's consulate in New York, as the Israeli leader spoke to the US Congress on Tuesday.Netanyahu's appearance has strained US-Israeli relations and was boycotted by dozens of Obama's fellow Democrats.Abraham Gutman, who lives in New York, said he wanted to send the message "that there are many voices outside of Israel and there is a voice that wants peace and wants to end occupation and discuss real issues and not monger fear. And we want to tell Netanyahu that we are not afraid."Demonstrator Gad Markus said he hopes people realize that not all Jews support the Israeli leader or his positions."I don't think he should have accepted the invitation and he doesn't represent me," Markus said.Netanyahu's speech culminated a diplomatic storm triggered by his acceptance in January of a Republican invitation that bypassed the White House and Obama's fellow Democrats, many of whom considered it an affront to the president.Obama refused to meet Netanyahu, saying that doing so just ahead of Israel's March 17 general election would be seen as interference. Aides to Obama said he would not be watching the speech, broadcast live on US television.Protester Tal Linzen didn't watch either. He says Netanyahu is "leading Israel to a disaster."At the start of the speech, Netanyahu sought to defuse the intense politicization of his appearance, which has hardened divisions between Republicans and Democrats over the White House's approach to stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.He said he was grateful to Obama for his public and private support of Israel, including US military assistance and contributions to Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system.
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