WASHINGTON – The last time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress, nearly 60 Democrats ignored his speech nine years ago, calling it a slap in the face to then-President Barack Obama as he negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran.
With Netanyahu scheduled to address US lawmakers on July 24 and your government now in war with Hamas in Gazathe number of absences is likely to be much higher.
Congressional Democrats are struggling to decide whether to attend. Many are torn between their long-standing support for Israel and their distress over the way Israel has conducted military operations in Gaza. More than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the war, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled territory. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its numbers.
While some Democrats say they will act out of respect for Israel, a larger and growing faction wants no part of it, creating an unusually charged atmosphere at a meeting that normally amounts to a ceremonial, bipartisan show of support for an American ally.
“I would like him to be a statesman and do what is right for Israel. We all love Israel,” former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-California, recently said on CNN about Netanyahu. “We need to help them and not let him get in the way of this for so long.”
She added: “I think this will bring more than we have seen in terms of discontent among our own.”
Tensions between Netanyahu and Democratic President Joe Biden have spilled over into the public, with Netanyahu last week accusing the Biden administration of withholding US weapons of Israel – a claim he did it again Sunday to his office. After the prime minister first made the accusation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “We really don’t know what he’s talking about. We just don’t know.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.,’s invitation to Netanyahu came after consultation with the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. So far, no meetings between the leaders have been scheduled during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, this person said.
Netanyahu said in a statement that he was “very moved” by the invitation to speak to Congress and by the opportunity “to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to representatives of the American people and around the world.”
Republicans first floated the idea in March of inviting Netanyahu after Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States, gave a speech on the Senate floor this was sharply critical of the Prime Minister. Schumer, DN.Y., called the Israeli leader “an obstacle to peace” and called for new elections in Israel, while denouncing Hamas and criticizing the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.
Republicans denounced the speech as an affront to Israel and its sovereignty. Johnson spoke of asking Netanyahu to come to Washington, an invitation that Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York ended up endorsing, albeit reluctantly. Pelosi, who opposed the invitation to Netanyahu in 2015 when she was Democratic leader, she said it was a mistake for congressional leadership to extend it again this time.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who attended the 2015 speech as a member of the House, said he saw no reason why Congress “should extend a political lifeline” to Netanyahu.
Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it would be “healthy” for members of both parties to be present. “I think a lot of Americans are getting a one-sided narrative, especially the younger generation, and I think it’s important that they listen to the prime minister of Israel, in terms of his perspective,” said McCaul, R-Texas.
Interviews with more than a dozen Democrats revealed the breadth of discontent over the upcoming speech, which many consider to be a Republican ploy aimed at dividing their party. Some Democrats say they will attend to express their support for Israel, not Netanyahu.
New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he has an “obligation” to attend because of that position.
“This shouldn’t have happened,” he added. “But I can’t control it. And I have to do my job.”
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has signaled he will be there. Cardin said what he is looking for in Netanyahu’s speech is a “kind of message that can strengthen this country’s support for Israel’s needs” but also lay the groundwork for peace in the region.
Other Democrats are waiting to see whether Netanyahu will still be prime minister when he is scheduled to speak in Congress.
There have been open signs of discontent with the way the war has been handled by Netanyahu’s government, a coalition that includes right-wing hardliners who oppose any kind of agreement with Hamas.
Benny Gantz, former military leader and centrist politician, Withdrew from Netanyahu’s war cabinet this month, citing frustration with the prime minister’s handling of the war. On Monday, Netanyahu dissolved the body. Meanwhile, a growing number of critics and protesters in Israel have supported a proposed ceasefire that would bring hostages taken by Hamas home.
Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., said he stands with those “who hope he won’t be prime minister until the end of July. I think he’s been bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians, bad for America.” But, he added, he believes it’s his job to show up when a head of state addresses Congress, “even if it’s someone I have concerns about and disagree with.”
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., watched the 2015 speech and described it as “one of the most painful hours” he experienced while in Congress. He plans to boycott unless Netanyahu becomes a “ceasefire champion.”
A large portion of the Congressional Progressive Caucus — lawmakers who are among the most critical of Israel’s handling of the war — is expected to be dismissed. Among them is Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the caucus chair, who told the Associated Press it was a “bad idea” to invite Netanyahu.
“We should put pressure on him, suspending offensive military assistance, so that he complies with the agreement established by the president,” she said.
Netanyahu’s visit is expected to spark significant protests and some members of Congress are planning an alternative event.
Rep. Jim Clyburn said he is in the early stages of bringing “like-minded” people together to exchange ideas about a path forward for Israelis and Palestinians that includes a two-state solution. The senior South Carolina Democrat sharply criticized Netanyahu’s 2015 speech, which he and several prominent members of the Congressional Black Caucus called an affront to Obama.
“I just think instead of just saying, ‘I’m not going to, I’m going to stay away,’ I’m saying, ‘I’m going to stay away for a purpose,’” he said. “I won’t listen to his nonsense. But here are some ideas we have that could be a way forward.”
___ Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Josh Boak, Mary Clare Jalonick and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to reflect what White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “We don’t really know what he’s talking about,” not “We generally don’t know what he’s talking about,” in response to the Israeli Prime Minister’s statements. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Biden administration was withholding US weapons from Israel.
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