Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to speak to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday amid high tensions over U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed.
Netanyahu was invited to speak primarily by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been severely critical of President Joe Biden’s response to the war, including pausing a shipment of large unguided U.S. bombs due to concerns about civilian casualties. Republicans have pushed back, saying that pausing that shipment violates Israel’s right to defend itself.
Netanyahu’s 2 p.m. speech comes as the prime minister has so far rejected Biden’s proposal for a cease-fire that would free the hostages Hamas still holds — as part of a larger regional peace plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a memorial service for former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, July 24, 2024, at the Washington Hebrew Congregation, in Washington.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Exactly what Netanyahu will say to lawmakers is unclear, but his visit also comes amid domestic political turmoil for both him and Biden, and questions about how Biden’s new lame-duck status will affect his ability to make any progress on ending the fighting, given his already fraught relationship with the Israeli leader.
Protesters occupied parts of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday ahead of the speech, and family members of some of the hostages have been given guest tickets to attend by Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of dozens of Democrats — including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib and Sens. Dick Durbin and Patty Murray — who are boycotting the speech. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders also will not attend. Protests were expected again Wednesday.
Johnson has threatened to have anyone who tries to disrupt the speech arrested.
Vice President Kamala Harris will not be sitting behind Netanyahu in the vice president’s chair as she customarily would in her capacity as president of the Senate, as she will be attending a campaign event in Indianapolis instead.
“The idea that they’re making political calculations when our ally is in such dire straits fighting for its very survival and fighting back against the horrific attack of Oct. 7 is unconscionable to us,” Johnson said Tuesday of Harris’ absence.
The White House said Harris and Biden will meet with Netanyahu separately on Thursday instead. Former President Donald Trump said he will meet with Netanyahu on Friday at Mar-a-Lago.
Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, a stalwart Israel supporter who is retiring, will take Harris’ place on the House dais.
Large-scale anti-Israel protests in support of the Palestinian cause this past spring on college campuses and across the country dominated U.S. politics for months and forced Biden to modify his previous full-throated support for the U.S. ally.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed on the Senate floor Wednesday that he will be attending Netanyahu’s address.
“Even though I disagree with many of Bibi Netanyahu’s policies, I will attend the speech because the United States relationship with Israel remains ironclad and transcends any prime minister or president, and we must do all we can to get our hostages home,” he said.
In March, Schumer called on Israel to hold new elections, saying at the time that he believed Netanyahu had “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Netanyahu criticized Schumer at the time for his remarks.
New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Netanyahu critic, will attend his speech, saying in a statement, “Out of respect for the State of Israel and the office of the Prime Minister, I plan to attend tomorrow’s joint address.”
Congress sent $26 billion in aid to Israel and provided humanitarian relief for people in Gaza in April as part of a foreign aid package.
About $4 billion of that was dedicated to replenishing Israel’s missile defense systems. More than $9 billion of the total went toward humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu attended a memorial service for Sen. Joe Lieberman, a longtime supporter of Israel, who died in March.
ABC News’ Mariam Khan and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
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