WAshington — Congressional leaders invited the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give a speech at the Capitol, a demonstration of war time support for longtime ally despite growing political divisions over Israel’s military assault on Gaza.
The invitation of the President of the Chamber Mike Johnsona Republican and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumera Democrat, along with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, was at work for a while. No date for the speech has been set.
The leaders said the invitation was extended to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.”
“We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision to defend democracy, combat terrorism and establish a just and lasting peace in the region,” they wrote.
The invitation appears as Israel-Hamas The war, now in its seventh month after the October 7th surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group, has caused widespread concerns in the US and abroad about Israel’s conduct and the high number of civilian deaths.
A speech by Netanyahu would almost certainly expose election year divisions in the US, where a growing number of Democrats have moved away from the right-wing prime minister, while Republicans are moving closer to the Israeli leader.
As Israel advances Rafa in Gaza, the International Criminal Court accused Netanyahu and his defense minister, along with three Hamas leaders, of war crimes – an act that is largely symbolic, but which further isolates the Israeli leader.
President Joe Biden while supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, he criticized the ICC case against Netanyahu, but nevertheless became critical of Israel’s war plans and pressed for guarantees of humanitarian aid.
It is unclear whether Biden and Netanyahu would meet in Washington.
In Congress, debates over the Israel-Hamas war were intense, heated and divisive, amplified during the protests on university campus this spring, showing how once unyielding support for Israel has weakened and shattered.
Schumer, who is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the US, gave a speech stinging rebuke of the Israeli leader in March, saying in a speech that Netanyahu had “lost his way”.
Republicans, including the presumptive GOP presidential nominee donald trumphave been eager to demonstrate their support for Netanyahu and expose democratic divisions over Israel.
Johnson first suggested inviting Netanyahu, saying it would be “a great honor for me” to invite the Israeli leader, after Schumer’s own negative comments.
Most recently, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York became the highest-ranking Republican elected official in the US to deliver a speech before the Israeli parliament.
In 2015, Netanyahu was invited to speak to Congress in a rejection of then-President Barack Obama by a previous Republican speaker during the disputes over Iran.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
