Israel’s Netanyahu gets invitation to address US Congress
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The speech would make Mr Benjamin Netanyahu the first foreign leader to address joint meetings of Congress four times.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – The leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives on May 31 invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress, a show of support amid partisan divides over Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
The letter inviting Mr Netanyahu was signed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel, we invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combating terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” the letter said.
It did not propose a date for the speech.
Mr Johnson had said the Israeli leader would soon address a joint meeting of Congress, amid heightened tensions with President Joe Biden’s administration over Mr Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza.
The Republican speaker had said he would invite Mr Netanyahu whether or not congressional Democratic leaders signed on to the letter.
Mr Johnson was one of many Republicans who had criticised Mr Biden for saying he would withhold a shipment of bombs to Israel if it mounted a large-scale invasion of Rafah, a southern Gaza city where many thousands of Palestinians had fled during the war.
Billions of dollars in US-made weaponry remains in the pipeline for shipment to Israel.
Passing Churchill
Mr Biden’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas has emerged as a political liability for the President, particularly among young Democrats on the left, as he runs for re-election in 2024. It fuelled a wave of “uncommitted” protest votes in presidential primaries and has driven pro-Palestinian protests at universities.
T he Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct 7
Addresses to joint meetings of Congress by foreign leaders are a rare honour generally reserved for the closest US allies or major world figures. Mr Netanyahu has already given three such addresses, most recently in 2015.
This speech would make him the first foreign leader to address joint meetings of Congress four times. He is currently tied at three with Britain’s wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill.
The invitation to address Congress was announced the same day Mr Biden said Israel had proposed a Gaza ceasefire
Mr Netanyahu has long aligned himself with US Republicans. In March he addressed Republican senators via a video link, nearly a week after Mr Schumer gave a Senate speech branding the Prime Minister an obstacle to peace and urging new elections in Israel.
The formal invitation on May 31 was first reported by The Hill news website. REUTERS
