( CNN ) As a proud pro-Israel American , I am grateful that an Israeli prime minister has been invited to address Congress for a third time -- a high honor shared only by Sir Winston Churchill . Yet in the middle of an Israeli election and with a congressional battle over Iran sanctions looming , sometimes an invitation is more political gamesmanship than diplomatic honor . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and House Speaker John Boehner 's latest gambit -- arranging an address to a joint session of Congress by the Prime Minister just two weeks before the Israeli election -- is severely taxing our special relationship . With mixed emotions , I find myself empathizing with the Jewish leader who told Israeli columnist Chemi Shalev : `` I was literally sick to my stomach when I heard about it . '' White House spokesman Josh Earnest diplomatically called the invitation `` a departure from protocol , '' and even staunch pro-Israel advocate and Anti-Defamation League head Abe Foxman termed it `` ill-advised . '' Sadly , this invitation is glaring evidence that Israel is becoming a partisan football , a wedge issue cynically manipulated to grab headlines and seek political gain . We saw this dynamic play out in the 2012 presidential race when Mitt Romney's campaign attempted to peel off Jewish voters from President Obama by insinuating that Obama had thrown Israel `` under the bus . '' It did n't work then , though the tactic will likely rear its ugly head again in the next race for the White House . And it 's not likely to work now for Boehner , who is essentially enlisting the Israeli leader to help him try to deal the President of the United States a political blow by derailing nuclear negotiations with Iran through legislating new sanctions . Unfortunately , although the Republican Party is clearly hoping to hobble the current president 's agenda , the real impact of the speaker 's political stunt is likely to be a further erosion of the bipartisan nature of support for Israel , at a time when Israel increasingly needs America 's backing as a bulwark against its growing international isolation . Secretary of State John Kerry held a lengthy meeting with Israel 's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday , a day before the Washington visit was announced , a senior administration official told CNN . The Israeli government was being accused of assassinating an Iranian general on the Israel-Syria border , and the White House was , according to eminent Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea , exerting significant effort in an attempt to de-escalate the situation with Iran . Yet in an example of what Barnea describes as `` ingratitude of the ugliest kind , '' the planned visit was not mentioned . And when Netanyahu arrives in March , he and Kerry will not meet . Americans and Israelis who care about the relationship between the two countries must work quickly to prevent relations from sinking any lower . While our militaries are still coordinating as closely as ever , and our special relationship is ultimately built on more than the chemistry between two leaders , key long-term interests of both countries hang in the balance . Erosion of trust between our governments will damage our ability to work together to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria , prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel in peace and security . Boehner would be wise to postpone his invitation until later this spring , when the new Israeli government has been formed and the next prime minister has a fresh mandate from the Israeli people . And whoever that next leader is should make Washington his ( or her ) first visit , and work with the President to confront the serious challenges that our two countries face .
Invitation to Jeremy Ben-Ami to speak to White House has caused controversy . Benjmain Netanyahu : U.S is becoming partisan football in Israel .