(Headline USA) Congressional leaders have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address a the U.S. Capitol, a show of wartime support for the longtime ally leftist antipathy toward the conservative leader over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The move echoed an invitation that Netanyahu—known familiarly as “Bibi”—received from the Republican-led Congress in 2015 while receiving a chilly reception from then-President Barack Obama, who was attempting at the time to advance a controversial nuclear deal with Iran.
President Joe Biden and other Democrat leaders have struggled to strike the appropriate tone of support for Israel while also placating leftist Hamas supporters in crucial swing states including Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where protest votes could take a significant toll on the November election.
Netanyahu, however, announced recently that he expected the military campaign against Hamas to last at least another five months through the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, Business Insider reported.
The invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, along with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, has been in the works for some time. No date for the speech was set.
Leaders said the invitation was extended to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.”
“We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” they wrote.
Johnson first suggested inviting the Israeli leader, saying it would be “a great honor of mine” to invite him.
However, Schumer was previously slammed for attempting to meddle in Israel’s elections after declaring that Netanyahu should be ousted over the war.
Schumer said in the speech that Netanyahu had “lost his way” amid the Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza.
Even so, Schumer had said he would join in the invitation because “our relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends any one prime minister or president.”
If Schumer and Jeffries were to rebuff the visit, it would likely give Republicans ammo to allege that they were siding with the brutal and notoriously anti-Semitic terrorist group Hamas.
The Israel–Hamas war, now in its seventh month after the Oct. 7 surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group.
As Israel pushes into Rafah in Gaza, the International Criminal Court has accused Netanyahu and his defense minister, along with three Hamas leaders, of war crimes — a largely symbolic act but one that further isolates the Israeli leader.
President Joe Biden in supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas lambasted the ICC’s case against Netanyahu, but he has nevertheless grown critical of Israel’s war plans, and has pressed for assurances of humanitarian aid.
On Friday, Biden encouraged a three-phase deal proposed by Israel to Hamas militants that he says would lead to the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and could end the war.
He urged Israelis and Hamas to come to an agreement to release the remaining hostages for an extended ceasefire, arguing that Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel as it did in October.
Biden called the proposal “a road map to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”
It is unclear if Biden and Netanyahu would meet in Washington.
Earlier this week, Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a Palestinian state, a move that was condemned by Israel. Slovenia’s government also endorsed a motion to recognize a Palestinian state and asked the parliament to do the same.
On Capitol Hill, the debates over the Israel-Hamas war have been pitched, heated and divisive, amplified during the college campus protests this spring, showing how the once ironclad support for Israel has weakened and splintered on the Left even as it has become that much more entrenched on the Right.
Republicans, including Trump, have been eager to display their support for Netanyahu and expose the Democratic divisions over Israel.
More recently, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, became the highest ranking Republican elected official from the U.S. to deliver a speech before the Israeli parliament.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
