Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to speak before Congress on Wednesday in hopes of bolstering U.S. support for Israel’s continued offensives against Hamas and other adversaries. But a boycott of his appearance by some Democratic lawmakers and planned protests abroad are highlighting how his hardline administration’s conduct in the devastating conflict in Gaza is opening fissures in longstanding U.S. support for his country.
Netanyahu was assured a warm welcome by Republican lawmakers who staged his speech on the House floor, an appearance that made him the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill.
Many Democrats and independent Bernie Sanders plan to boycott Netanyahu’s appearance. But the most notable absence will be behind him: Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as Senate president and would traditionally sit behind any dignitary speaking, says a long-scheduled trip will keep her away Wednesday. And the next Democrat on the list, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, is refusing to attend.
U.S. Capitol Police officers enter the Capitol building a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the Capitol on Tuesday in Washington.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Republicans viewed the absence of Harris, the new Democratic presidential front-runner, as a sign of disloyalty to an ally. However, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, said the campaign would also skip the Israeli leader’s speech.
And outside the Capitol, protesters angry over the deaths of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, or over Netanyahu’s failure to free Israeli and American hostages taken by Hamas and other militants in the early hours of the Israel-Hamas conflict, are promising mass protests.
In anticipation of this, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned of a “zero tolerance policy” for any signs of unrest in the Capitol building. “It is our tradition to recognize every invited speaker’s right to free speech, even if we disagree with their point of view,” the Louisiana Republican wrote to members on Tuesday.
Breaking news from Canada and around the world delivered to your inbox, as it happens.
Get breaking national news
To receive breaking news stories affecting Canada and the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts sent directly to you when they happen.
Johnson hosted the speech, an honor that marks the historically warm ties between the two countries and the political weight that support for Israel has long had in American politics. But attention to the visit has been diminished in part by the American political turmoil of recent weeks, including the assassination attempt against Trump and President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek another term.
Netanyahu hopes to project the image of a tough, respected statesman to an increasingly critical public in Israel, something that may prove difficult given the wide divide among Americans over Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict.
Many Democrats who support Israel but have been critical of Netanyahu see the speech as a Republican effort to present themselves as the party most loyal to Israel and provide the prime minister with much-needed political breathing room.
“I don’t know all of President Johnson’s motivations for initiating the invitation, but he clearly wanted to throw a political lifeline to Netanyahu, whose popularity is very low in Israel right now,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, one of dozens of Democrats preparing to boycott the meeting, said Tuesday.
Still, many Democrats are planning to attend the speech despite their criticism of Netanyahu, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for new elections in Israel in a speech in March. Schumer, of New York, said at the time that Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Netanyahu will also meet with Biden and Harris on Thursday, and with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.
The United States is Israel’s main ally, its main arms supplier and source of military aid in its fight to defeat Hamas since the group attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Netanyahu’s visit is his first abroad since the conflict began and comes against the backdrop of arrest warrants sought by the International Criminal Court over alleged Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. The United States does not recognize the ICC.
The Biden administration says it wants Netanyahu to focus during his visit on helping broker a cease-fire deal and the release of hostages in the nine-month-old conflict. Israelis are increasingly accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the war to avoid a likely fall from power when the conflict ends.
Netanyahu says his goals with the U.S. visit are to push for the release of hostages held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza, build support for Israel to continue the battle against the group and advocate continuing the confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iran-allied groups in the region. The United States, France and other countries are trying to calm border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, fearing a wider conflict.
In his speech, Netanyahu could also refer to a new agreement brokered by China between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to form a joint government. The deal was an attempt to resolve a rivalry that could make it even harder for Palestinians to secure a role in governing Gaza when the conflict ends. Israel immediately denounced the pact, with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller calling Hamas a terrorist group that should have no role in governing the Palestinians.
Some Democrats are wary of Netanyahu, who in 2015 used a joint address to Congress to denounce the pending nuclear deal between then-President Barack Obama and Iran. National security adviser Jake Sullivan has said he does not expect Wednesday’s speech to be a repeat of the 2015 one.
As the prime minister speaks, multiple protests are planned in and around the Capitol. The largest of these is planned for Wednesday morning; organizers plan to march around the Capitol to demand Netanyahu’s arrest on war crimes charges. Relatives of the Israeli hostages are planning a vigil on the National Mall.
Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
