House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon address a joint session of Congress amid the country’s ongoing war with Hamas.
“Tonight I am pleased to announce something else to you: we will soon host Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress,” Johnson said at an event hosted by the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. It will be a timely and, in my opinion, very strong show of support for the Israeli government at a time of greatest need.”
It is unclear when exactly Netanyahu might address lawmakers, though Johnson has wrangled over the invitation with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Johnson gave Schumer an ultimatum earlier this week to sign the invitation, saying that if his colleague had not done so, the House itself would invite him.
Schumer told reporters on Wednesday that he was “discussing that now with the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
“And as I have always said, our relationship with Israel is rock-solid and transcends any prime minister or president,” the New York Democrat added.
Schumer condemned Israel’s approach in Gaza in March and called on the country to make “significant course corrections” in the war to protect civilians, a dramatic shift in his steadfast support for the country to that point.
He went on to say that Netanyahu had “lost his way by putting his political survival ahead of Israel’s best interests.”
Representatives for Johnson and Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
“Tonight I am pleased to announce: we will soon receive Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress. This will be a timely and very strong show of support for the Israeli government[“[“[“[“
— Speaker of the House of Representatives Johnson pic.twitter.com/SpH0dSQlTu
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) May 24, 2024
The specter of an invitation has sparked frustration among many Democrats, who remain angry over Israel’s continued assault in Gaza and the lack of progress on a ceasefire.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was one of several members of Congress who pledged to boycott any speech.
“It’s a terrible idea, no, I’m not going,” Sanders told CNN on Wednesday. “You have a prime minister who has caused the worst humanitarian disaster in modern history. Israel obviously had the right to defend itself against Hamas’s terrorist attack. But what Netanyahu has done is wage war against an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”
The invitation comes just days after the International Criminal Court prosecutor said he had requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity following the ongoing war in Gaza. The prosecutor, Karim Khan, said Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were responsible for the crimes, linking the men to deliberate attacks on civilians and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
“The consequences of using famine as a method of war, along with other attacks and collective punishment against the civilian population of Gaza, are acute, visible and well known,” Khan said earlier this week.
