By Matt Spetalnick and Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson announced on Thursday that the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu would soon address a joint session of Congress amid heightened tensions President Joe Biden about the way in which the Israeli leader has handled the war in Gaza.
During his keynote speech at the Israeli embassy’s annual Independence Day reception, Johnson, the top Republican in Congress and a critic of the Democratic president’s Israel policies, said this would be “a strong show of support for the Israeli government at a time of greatest need. ”
Such a speech is sure to further anger some progressive Democrats, who are increasingly critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and Biden’s support for it.
The diplomatic meeting came amid tensions between Biden and Netanyahu over a US push on Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians in the war against Hamas militants in Gaza.
The embassy gave equal attention to a speech by Democratic U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, who shared the high-profile platform with Johnson at a more subdued event in the shadow of the Gaza war. He said American support for Israel was “iron-plated.”
First, Johnson said to applause from the heavily pro-Israel crowd: “Tonight I am pleased to announce something else to you. We will soon receive Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress.”
Successive US administrations have typically sent a senior official to Independence Day receptions, reflecting Israel’s status as Washington’s most important ally in the Middle East.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has called the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian catastrophe” in recent months and urged a ceasefire, delivered last year’s keynote, in which he mainly praised American support for Israel. Interior Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke the year before.
An Israeli official said this year that the embassy wanted to honor lawmakers in a bipartisan manner with high-profile speaking roles in appreciation of Congress’ approval of new U.S. military aid to Israel.
The reception took place on the same evening as a state dinner at the White House for Kenyan President William Ruto, causing a scheduling conflict for senior members of the government, according to the Israeli official. Other lower-level government officials were on the embassy’s guest list, according to the Israeli official.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the absence of a senior Biden aide from the speakers list.
(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Costas Pitas and Leslie Adler)
