JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to Washington on Monday, leaving behind a brutal war deliver a politically precarious speech to Congress at a time of great uncertainty following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
While efforts are made to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamasgrowing concern about the extension of the war to Lebanon and Yemenand the United States in the middle of a dizzying election campaignNetanyahu’s speech has the potential to cause disorder on both sides of the ocean.
The risks only increased with Biden’s decision on Sunday to drop out of the presidential race, especially since the selection of a replacement Democratic candidate (and potential next American leader) is still up in the air.
A person familiar with Biden’s agenda confirmed Sunday that the president will host Netanyahu at the White House. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the exact timing of the meeting has not been set because Biden is recovering from COVID-19.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday. He is also expected to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
An official in Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli leader would travel to Washington on Monday. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.
Netanyahu will deliver his speech in Congress with several audiences in mind: his ultranationalist ruling partners, the key to their political survival; the Biden administration, which Netanyahu is counting on to diplomatic and military support; and Donald Trump’s Republican Party, which could offer Netanyahu a reset in relations if he is re-elected in November.
His words risk angering any of those voters, something the Israeli leader cannot afford if he hopes to maintain his tenuous control of power.
“There are some landmines and traps on this trip,” Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, said before Biden’s withdrawal. “He is considered a political magician who knows how to escape traps. I’m not sure he still knows how to do it.”
It is Netanyahu’s fourth speech before Congress, more than any other world leader. During his speech, his far-right ruling partners will want to hear his determination to continue the war and overthrow Hamas.
The Biden administration will seek progress toward the latest U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal and details on a postwar vision. Republicans hope Netanyahu besmirches Biden and reinforces the expected perception of the Republican Party as a strong supporter of Israel.
Upon receiving the invitation, Netanyahu said he would “present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us.”
The war, which was caused by Hamas attack on October 7 in southern Israel, has tested Israel’s ties with its main ally like never before.
The Biden administration has stood firmly by Israel. But he is increasingly alarmed by the conduct of the Israeli military, the continued difficulties in getting humanitarian aid to Gaza, especially after the brief crisis American military dock off the coast of Gaza, as well as Israel’s lack of post-war plans and damage to civilians in Gaza. Similar concerns are likely to persist if Americans elect a new Democratic president.
Biden earlier this year froze the delivery of certain bombs for fear that they would be used in Israel’s raid on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which at the time was home to more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
The United States abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote in March he called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, but did not link the two. Netanyahu called the decision a “retreat” from a “principled position” by Israel’s ally.
Biden has had to walk a fine line. He has faced harsh criticism from progressive Democrats and many arab americans. Even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, lashed out at Netanyahu in March for his handling of the war.
Some Democrats are likely to show their anger toward Biden and Netanyahu by skipping Wednesday’s speech. Netanyahu is also likely to be pursued by pro-Palestinian activists during his trip.
The last time Netanyahu spoke before Congress in 2015 was at the invitation of the Republican Party. Trip drove Israeli-American politics into deep partisan division while Netanyahu criticized then-President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.
Netanyahu has not shied away from making Israel a partisan issue. With his conservative nationalist ideology, he has been perceived as supporting Republican candidates in the past, irritating Democrats and Israelis who want to maintain the bipartisan relationship between the United States and Israel.
It is unclear whether he will meet with Trump. If there is a meeting, he could expose Netanyahu to accusations that he is once again taking sides. But if he doesn’t meet with Trump, the former president could feel slighted.
The speech also offers Netanyahu an opportunity. He will be able to show Israelis that, despite tensions with the Biden administration, US support for him remains strong.
“He wants the Israeli public to believe that they are still very welcome in the United States. And this shows that the American people are with him,” said David Makovsky, director of the Arab-Israel Relations program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
For Netanyahu’s critics, that acceptance is unacceptable and lends legitimacy to a deeply polarizing leader whose public support has plummeted. Netanyahu faces widespread protests and calls to resign for the failures of October 7 and his handling of the war.
In a letter to Congress, 500 Israeli writers, academics and public figures expressed dismay at the invitation to Netanyahu, saying he will use the platform to promote misguided policies that align with his far-right ruling partners.
“His only interest is in preserving his own power,” they wrote. “Does the United States Congress wish to support such a model of cynical and manipulative leadership in these times?”
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu will be joined by the rescued hostage Noa Argamani and his father. But for many of the families of the hostages held in Gaza, the trip is an affront.
“This is not the time for travel,” Ayelet Levy Shachar, whose daughter Naama was kidnapped on Oct. 7, he told reporters.
“Netanyahu: first an agreement, then you can travel.”
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