US Democrats regret Netanyahu refused their invitation

Senator Richard Durbin said Wednesday that he regretted that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could not meet the Democratic Senators who had invited him to a close-door meeting next week."We offered the Prime Minister an opportunity to balance the politically divisive invitation from Speaker (John) Boehner with a private meeting with Democrats who are committed to keeping the bipartisan support of Israel strong," Durbin said. "His refusal to meet is disappointing to those of us who have stood by Israel for decades."

Netanyahu declined the invitation from Senators Durbin and Dianne Feinstein saying: “Though I greatly appreciate your kind invitation, I believe that accepting it at this time could compound the misperception of partisanship regarding my upcoming visit.”