US poised to invite Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress 

US Democrats and Republicans are reportedly poised to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress, the Hill has reported. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is set to join Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in extending an invitation to the Likud leader as opposition to the US funded Israeli genocide in Gaza spreads across America.

Both Schumer and Johnson are strong advocates of Zionism, the state ideology of Israel, and also recipients of funds from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Growing number of Americans are calling for the pro-Israel group to be registered as a foreign agency because of its over-size influence on US politics.

According to Johnson, a draft invitation was sent to Schumer’s office approximately a month ago, but the Senate leader had not yet co-signed it. However, Schumer’s spokesperson recently confirmed that he intends to join the invitation, with the timing still being finalised.

Netanyahu’s potential visit is expected to draw criticism from liberal Democrats who have expressed strong disapproval of the prime minister’s handling of Israel’s military onslaught on Gaza which has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children.

The visit would also coincide with a strained relationship between Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in US history, and Netanyahu. In March, Schumer called for new elections in Israel to replace the long-serving leader of the extremist Likud Party.

Read: PA says US support ‘encourages’ Netanyahu to defy international law

The charter of Israel’s most successful political party does not recognise Palestine and is committed to using violence in creating a greater Israel by occupying every inch of Historic Palestine, a goal which critics say cannot be achieved without carrying out ethnic cleansing and genocide of the native Palestinian Muslim and Christian population.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Schumer stated that Netanyahu had “lost his way,” remarks that the Israeli prime minister deemed “totally inappropriate”. Despite these tensions, both Johnson and Schumer have previously expressed their willingness to invite Netanyahu to address Congress.

The Hill pointed out that while there are no formal procedures for inviting foreign leaders to speak before Congress, such invitations are typically extended on behalf of Congressional leaders. Netanyahu’s last address to Congress in 2015 was to oppose the Iran nuclear deal. Congress interrupted to applaud the speech of the Israeli leader 39 times, 23 of which were standing ovations.

However, it highlighted the tensions between the Democrats and the Israeli leader, with several Democrats boycotting the event in protest. Many viewed Netanyahu’s speech as a humiliation of the then US President Barack Obama. The current President Joe Biden served as vice president at the time.

In March, Schumer rejected the request of Netanyahu to address the Senate Democratic caucus, presumably because the Israeli prime minister has very little support amongst Democrats.