The bitter conflict has been an ongoing headache for President Biden and other Democratic leaders, who are attempting a delicate balance between supporting America’s closest Middle Eastern ally in a time of war while denouncing elements of Netanyahu’s military strategy, which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza.
The dynamics mirror those that accompanied Netanyahu’s last joint address to Congress, in 2015. The Israeli leader, at the invitation of former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), used the lofty stage to attack then-President Obama over his nascent nuclear deal with Iran — an extraordinary rebuke by a foreign leader on a sitting president’s home turf that was widely denounced by Obama’s Democratic allies.
Nine years later, some of those same Democrats are voicing concerns that Netanyahu would again use the platform to advance his own political agenda, even if it means going after the Biden administration.
“I boycotted his last visit. I certainly will not attend this one,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a Jewish Democrat who characterized Netanyahu as “a menace.”
The pushback comes three days after the International Criminal Court (ICC), an international body based in The Hague, charged Netanyahu and his defense minister with war crimes for their military operations in Gaza following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. Among the charges, the ICC has accused the Israeli leaders of directly targeting civilians and using starvation as a weapon of war — allegations that have only fueled the liberal opposition to Netanyahu’s potential visit.
“He appears hell-bent on wiping out the population of Gaza,” said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.). “I don’t see what would necessitate … a joint address to the Congress by a man who has been charged internationally for committing crimes against humanity.”
Other liberals are piling on, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are furious that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is pushing for Netanyahu to address Congress but declined that honor for the president of Kenya, William Ruto, who is visiting Washington this week.
The thorny issue of Israeli-Palestinian relations has long divided Democrats, pitting Israel’s staunchest defenders — who argue the importance of maintaining a strong Jewish state in a hostile region of the world — against liberals critical of Israel’s human rights record.
While Netanyahu’s address to Congress appears likely to happen, the event is not set in stone. Johnson drafted a formal letter inviting the Israeli leader to Capitol Hill and sent it to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer weeks ago, but the New York Democrat has yet to sign on.
Republicans who have rushed to the defense of Israel’s conduct during the war with Hamas, meanwhile, are eager to have Netanyahu appear in the Capitol to make his case. And House Democratic leaders, despite their reservations with Netanyahu and his far-right government, are also welcoming the Israeli leader.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
