Netanyahu meets with Democratic delegation, leading congressman amid latter’s questionable past

Discussions focused on the Iranian threat and expanding the Abraham Accords.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a Democratic US Congressional delegation led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Monday at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu thanked Jeffries and the members of the delegation for their support for the State of Israel and emphasized the importance of the relationship between Israel and the United States, his office said in a press release.

Discussions also focused on the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the Abraham Accords and opportunities for expanding the circle of peace with additional countries.

Also attending the meeting were Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides, the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Adviser Ophir Falk, and National Security Council Deputy Director for Foreign Policy Avivit Bar-Ilan.

Jeffries was recently called out for “lying” by Republicans for saying he barely remembers an incident in the 1990s involving an uncle’s virulent antisemitism when he had very publicly supported him at the time. His uncle, Leonard Jeffries, was a department chair of Black Studies at the City University of New York three decades ago.

When first elected to office in 2013, Jeffries told the Wall Street Journal that he had only a “vague recollection” of the brouhaha that publicly erupted over his uncle’s statements, saying that it wasn’t covered in the press where he was in college in Binghamton University in upstate New York at the time.

However, CNN revealed Wednesday that Jeffries had led a charge to defend his uncle, along with the well-known antisemitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

The Republican Jewish Coalition said that Jeffries “owes the Jewish community an explanation as to why he lied and attempted to cover up his defense of these revolting antisemites.”

Abraham AccordsBenjamin NetanyahuDemocratic partyHakeem JeffriesIranian threatIsraeli diplomacyUS-Israel relations