WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a speech at the Capitol, a show of wartime support for the longtime ally despite growing political divisions over Israel’s military assault on Gaza.
The invitation of 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 a while. No date has been set for the speech.
The leaders said the invitation was intended to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.”
“We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision of defending democracy, combating terror and building a just and lasting peace in the region,” they wrote.
A Netanyahu speech would almost certainly expose election-year divisions in the US, where a growing number of Democrats have turned away from the right-wing prime minister while Republicans have embraced him.
Johnson first suggested inviting the Israeli leader, saying it would be “a great honor for me” to invite him. That came shortly after Schumer, the top Jewish elected official in the US, sharply rebuked Netanyahu. Schumer said in the speech that Netanyahu had “lost his way” during Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza.
Still, Schumer had said he would participate in the invitation because “our relationship with Israel is rock-solid and transcends any prime minister or president.”
The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month following the Oct. 7 surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group, has caused widespread concern in the U.S. and abroad about Israel’s behavior and extensive civilian casualties.
As Israel pushes into Rafah in Gaza, the International Criminal Court has charged Netanyahu and his defense minister, along with three Hamas leaders, with war crimes — a largely symbolic act, but one that further isolates the Israeli leader.
When President Joe Biden supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, he denounced the ICC’s case against Netanyahu, but he has nevertheless become critical of Israel’s war plans and pushed for guarantees of humanitarian aid.
On Friday, Biden encouraged a three-phase deal proposed by Israel to Hamas militants, which he said would lead to the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and could end the war. He urged Israelis and Hamas to reach an agreement on the release of the remaining hostages for an extended ceasefire, arguing that Hamas is “no longer capable” of launching another large-scale attack on Israel as she did in October.
Biden called the proposal “a roadmap to a lasting ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”
It is unclear whether Biden and Netanyahu will meet in Washington.
Earlier this week, Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a Palestinian state, a move condemned by Israel. The Slovenian government also supported a motion to recognize a Palestinian state and asked parliament to do the same.
Normally, a high-profile conference invitation is issued jointly and in consultation with the White House. But in 2015, Netanyahu was invited by a former Republican speaker to address Congress in a rebuke of then-President Barack Obama during disputes over Iran.
On Capitol Hill, debates over the war between Israel and Hamas have been heated and divisive, and amplified during the college campus protests this spring, showing how once rock-solid support for Israel has weakened and splintered.
Republicans, including presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, were eager to show their support for Netanyahu and expose Democratic divisions over Israel.
More recently, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York became the highest-ranking Republican elected official from the U.S. to address the Israeli parliament.
