King of Jordan Chides Congress for Coddling Israel

The U.S. must lead negotiations to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict, King Abdullah II of Jordan told a joint session of Congress yesterday. Abdullah chided the U.S. for favoring Israel, saying Palestinians question "whether the West really means what it says about equality and respect and universal justice."

"I expected to hear a speech about Iraq; instead, I was troubled to hear the suggestion that the fact that Sunni and Shia are murdering each other is somehow the fault of the Israelis,” said New York Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat. (More Iraq stories.)