All the presidential candidates will be speaking at next week’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference with the exception of the only Jewish candidate in the running, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

While earlier on Friday there was some hope that the Independent senator would attend the conference at the start of next week, he confirmed later in the day he would not speak, Politico reported.

Sanders’ campaign announced he had sent a letter to the pro-Israel lobbying group explaining why he will not be able to attend next week’s policy conference.

“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,” Sanders reportedly wrote to AIPAC President Robert Cohen.

“Unfortunately, I am going to be traveling throughout the West and the campaign schedule that we have prevents me from attending,” he added.

Sanders promised to send over a copy of the speech he would have given had he been able to speak, and asked for it to be distributed to members, according to Politico.

With the exception of Sanders, all the other presidential candidates are either confirmed speakers or have said they will accept their invitation to speak.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the leading Democratic and Republican candidates, were confirmed last week, and Ohio Governor John Kasich confirmed his participation on Thursday. Senator Ted Cruz is also listed on the conference program as a scheduled speaker.

A spokesman for AIPAC had told CNN earlier on Friday the organization did not yet know whether Sanders would appear.

A petition started by Max Blumenthal, the son of former Clinton adviser Sidney Blumenthal and a pro-Palestinian writer, has garnered more then 5,000 signatures urging Sanders not to speak at AIPAC. One of the signers of the petition is Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters, who has endorsed Sanders, and is well-known for his anti-Israel stance.

On the other hand, foreign policy writer Robert Naiman wrote an open letter to Sanders encouraging him to speak at AIPAC and urging him to be a “truth-teller” to the group. Naiman is critical of the group’s pro-Israel stance.

Meanwhile, Jewish groups on Thursday announced plans to protest during Trump’s AIPAC speech. The groups are made up mostly of Conservative and Reform Jews.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)