IL Democrat Schakowsky to skip Netanyahu speech

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky says she is skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress next week.

The nine-term Illinois congresswoman said the speech should be postponed until after the Israeli elections next month. She says House Speaker John Boehner's invitation to Netanyahu without notifying President Barack Obama threatens Israel's security and undermines Congress' bipartisan support for Israel.

Schakowsky, who is Jewish, says she strongly supports Israel and believes that Iran should never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon, the expected topic of Netanyahu's speech.

She is one of several lawmakers to forgo the speech. Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine on Wednesday also announced he'd skip the session.