House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) offered Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) an ultimatum this week: Join his letter inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to speak in Congress, or the Chamber will move forward with an invitation in its possession.
Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that his office notified Schumer’s team the day before that if the Senate leader does not sign the draft invitation to Netanyahu by Tuesday, he will proceed with inviting the Israeli prime minister to speak only in the camera. The president of the Chamber, however, recalled that he would invite senators to attend the speech.
“My office told Senator Schumer’s office yesterday that he needed to sign the joint letter, and if not, we would go ahead and invite Netanyahu to the House only, and I will send individual invitations to the senators,” Johnson said.
Asked when Schumer’s deadline is, Johnson responded: “Today.”
Schumer reiterated on Tuesday – after Johnson’s comments – that he is open to welcoming the Israeli leader to the Capitol, even after calling for new elections in the Middle Eastern country and declaring that Netanyahu “lost himself” in a speech on the Senate floor. . in March.
“Yes,” said Schumer – the highest-ranking Jewish official in US history – when asked if he supported the idea of Netanyahu speaking at a joint meeting of Congress.
“I am discussing this now with the Speaker of the House and, as I have always said, our relationship with Israel is strict and transcends any prime minister or president,” he added.
Johnson’s deadline comes after Schumer’s office told The Hill earlier this month that the Senate leader “intends to join the invitation, the timing is being worked out.”
The statement followed Johnson’s comments to The Hill that he sent Schumer a draft letter inviting Netanyahu to speak to Congress last month, on which the Senate leader did not act.
The Speaker of the House issued the ultimatum on the same day that the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested arrest warrants for a handful of Israeli and Hamas leaders in the midst of the conflict, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Israeli Defense, Yoav Gallant.
Both Johnson and Schumer criticized the ICC move, calling it “baseless” and “reprehensible,” respectively.
If Netanyahu’s speech to Congress goes through, it will likely spark fury among liberals, who have criticized the conservative leader’s government and raised concerns about rising humanitarian deaths in the Gaza region amid Israel’s war against Hamas.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), for example, said the ICC was “right” to request arrest warrants, writing in a statement “These arrest warrants may or may not be executed, but it is imperative that the global community defend international law.”
“Without these standards of decency and morality, this planet could quickly descend into anarchy, endless wars and barbarism,” he added.
The senator took direct aim at Netanyahu, arguing that the Israeli leader “waged an unprecedented war of destruction against the entire Palestinian people.”
The speech would also represent an interesting moment in the relationship between Schumer and Netanyahu, after the Senate leader criticized Netanyahu in a speech and called for new elections in the country.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has also weakened the political and moral fabric of Israel through his attempts to co-opt judicial power. And he has shown no interest in doing the courageous and visionary work necessary to pave the way for peace, even before the current conflict,” he said. “As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it was clear to me: Netanyahu’s coalition no longer meets Israel’s needs after October 7.”
At the time, Netanyahu called Schumer’s comments “totally inappropriate.”
Netanyahu traveled to the Capitol and addressed Congress in 2015, a speech that several Democrats ignored as a way of protesting the Israeli leader. Netanyahu during the speech criticized then-President Obama over the nuclear deal with Iran.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
