Rep. James Clyburn (R-S.C.) said Sunday he does not plan to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress following Israel’s campaign during the war in Gaza and the leader’s past tensions with former President Obama .
“When it comes to this joint session, I don’t plan on attending,” Clyburn said in Nation News “Sunday on the Hill.” “Because I’m going to treat him the same way he treated Barak Obama, but I’m going to participate with a group of others in an alternative session to their joint session to see what we can now draw attention to that makes sense. ”
Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, which immediately drew disapproval from some progressive Democrats who are critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has left more than 37,000 people dead since the beginning of October, according to local health officials. Like Clyburn, some Democrats have already vowed to ignore the event and boycott the speech.
The planned speech will mark the fourth time that Netanyahu has given a speech before a joint meeting of Congress, following visits to the US in 2015, 2011 and 1996. In his last visit, more than 50 Democrats ignored the speech after former President John Boehner (R-Ohio) invited the Israeli leader without first notifying the White House under the Obama administration.
Obama and Netanyahu had a long-running feud in 2015 over Netanyahu’s stance on Palestinian statehood and the U.S. pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran.
Clyburn, a longtime Obama supporter, said Sunday that he seeks a two-state solution in the Middle East.
“You have to remember that Barack Obama tried to promote this issue, Joe Biden is promoting this issue and, on all fronts, Netanyahu has opposed it,” Clyburn said.
His comments came days after the NAACP wrote a letter to Biden urging him to halt arms sales to Israel. Clyburn said he “supports” the NAACP.
“I support what the NAACP is doing, but I am also a legislator who supports this administration. And I know that when you’re trying to find common ground, you can’t do things your way, totally all the time,” he said. “So Joe Biden is working hard trying to find common ground with the people of Israel. And most of the people of Israel are against what Netanyahu is doing.”
Israel’s war with Hamas has been going on for more than eight months following the militant group’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 others.
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