US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says he will not attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington next week.
Sanders made the announcement in a letter to AIPAC President Robert Cohen on Friday afternoon.
He expressed regret that he could not attend the annual meeting, where important American politicians and influential Zionist figures gather every year.
“I would very much have enjoyed speaking at the AIPAC conference. Obviously, issues impacting Israel and the Middle East are of the utmost importance to me, to our country and to the world,” he wrote.
The senator from Vermont is the first Jewish politician to ever win a presidential primary. He is the only presidential candidate in either party not to address the AIPAC conference, which is considered a must-stop for politicians who are seeking to bolster their pro-Israel credentials.
Sanders said he is traveling throughout the West next week and his…