Netanyahu address to Congress faces boycott and mass protests

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address the US Congress on Wednesday, an event which is expected to draw crowds of protesters. At least 21 Democrats are planning to boycott the speech, including Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen, as well as Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib.

Netanyahu was invited to speak to a joint session of Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson. The formal invitation letter dated 31 May was signed by Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. This will be his fourth speech before the legislative body, more than any other world leader, including former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who addressed Congress three times.

Sanders announced his decision to boycott the speech by insisting that Netanyahu should not be welcomed into the US Congress. “On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned.”

According to Van Hollen, it was a “big mistake” to invite Netanyahu to address Congress. “The actions and words of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his ultra-right extremist coalition, both before and since the 7 October attacks, have weakened the ties between the United States and Israel,” he said in a speech in the Senate yesterday. Noting that Netanyahu is the leader of the most “extreme, right-wing government coalition in the history of Israel,” he said it sends a “terrible message” to bring him to the US right now.

Last week at a pro-Israel event in Milwaukee, House Republican leader Mike Johnson criticised Democratic lawmakers who planned to protest against Netanyahu’s address to Congress.

“There’s a number of Democrats in the House who have said they are going to boycott the event, and then some others are going to protest,” said Johnson. “We’re going to have extra sergeants at arms on the floor, and if anybody gets out of hand, the Speaker of the House will bang the gavel. We’re going to arrest people if we have to do it.”

Several Democratic Congress members, including Sanders, have previously urged Biden to halt unfettered military aid to Israel. In May, the Biden administration paused a shipment of weapons, including controversial 2,000-pound bombs, which the president said killed civilians in Gaza.

Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal military offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza since the 7 October cross-border incursion led by Hamas. Around 1,200 Israelis were killed during the incursion, many of them by the Israel Defence Forces, it has been reported.

The Israeli offensive has since killed almost 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded 90,000 others. An estimated 10,000 more are missing, presumed dead, under the rubble of their homes and other civilian infrastructure destroyed by Israel.

READ: Israel executives, former security officials denounce Netanyahu ahead of address to US Congress

Adding to the controversy is a move by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest on charges of alleged war crimes committed during his tenure. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu decided against stopping over in any country en route to Washington to avoid the risk of an ICC arrest.

The Israeli leader landed in Washington on Monday afternoon. He is scheduled to have several meetings, including one with President Joe Biden in the White House on Thursday. He will then be hosted by former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his Florida home on Friday.

The focus of the meeting between Biden and Netanyahu will be a Gaza ceasefire and hostage swap deal, according to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

US officials have recently expressed optimism about a possible ceasefire deal, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying: “We’re inside the 10-yard line.” Biden also said on Monday, “I think we’re on the verge [of ending the war].”

Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as president of the Senate, will not preside over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, citing a previously-scheduled presidential campaign event in Indianapolis. Harris will reportedly hold a separate bilateral meeting with the Israeli prime minister this week at the White House, although it has not yet been officially confirmed.

Ohio Senator JD Vance, who is Trump’s running mate, will also skip Netanyahu’s address due to campaign-related events.

Netanyahu’s previous address to Congress was on 3 March, 2015, during which he criticised the Iran nuclear deal under negotiation by the Obama administration, describing it as “so bad”. He argued that the deal would not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and urged the US to reject the deal and maintain pressure on Iran. Some 58 members of Congress boycotted that 2015 speech.

Sullivan said last Friday that he believes that Netanyahu’s speech will not “look like 2015” but will be more reflective of the circumstances today.

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to gather outside the US Capitol on Wednesday ahead of Netanyahu’s speech. The protest is being organised by anti-war and pro-Palestinian groups including the ANSWER Coalition, the People’s Forum, Jewish Voice for Peace, Code Pink, the US Palestinian Community Network and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Security around the Capitol will be heightened.

“Any member of Congress who attends and applauds the speech by the genocidal, racist war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu will irreparably damage their reputation and legacy,” said CAIR. “It is imperative that our elected officials stand on the right side of history and boycott a foreign leader who has shown blatant disregard for human rights and numerous American presidents.”

READ: Israel killed 589 Palestinians in West Bank since 7 October

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.