A date for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s address to Congress remains uncertain after an initially mentioned date was ruled out because it fell on a Jewish holiday.
A US congressional leadership aide initially said Monday that Netanyahu would speak on June 13, which falls on Shavuot. It also coincides with President Joe Biden’s visit to Italy for a Group of 7 summit.
House Speaker Mike Johnson Congressional leaders are considering various options for Netanyahu to address Congress in light of the scheduling issue.
“We’re trying to get this done over the next few weeks, and there’s a sense of urgency on our side and on the prime minister’s side, so I hope we can get it done,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters Monday night.
Johnson added: “We have a number of different options that we are looking at – his staff and mine – so we will work it out.”
A source familiar with the planning of the visit said Netanyahu is likely to come to Washington to address Congress in July.
The top four Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress extended the invitation to Netanyahu last week, but it was not clear at the time whether the prime minister’s visit to Washington would include a meeting at the White House.
Scheduling the speech while Biden is on another continent would have sidestepped that question. Biden plans to attend a Group of Seven leaders’ summit in Puglia, Italy, running from June 13 to 15. The dates have been fixed for several months.
Biden and Netanyahu have spoken regularly by phone since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks that sparked the current dire conflict in Gaza, and they last met in person when the president flew to Tel Aviv in the days immediately after the attack.
However, the relationship between the leaders has become strained by Israel’s war plans and efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering in the Palestinian enclave.
The decision this year to invite Netanyahu to speak at a joint meeting of Congress did not receive unanimous approval among Democrats, some of whom have vowed to boycott the speech. The war in Gaza has divided Democrats; Many in the party say Netanyahu has become an obstacle to peace.
Even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel earlier this year, with the implication that Netanyahu would leave power. But the New York Democrat nevertheless signed the letter inviting the prime minister to speak to Congress.
“We join the State of Israel in your fight against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders endanger regional stability,” said the letter from Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem. Jeffries.
Last week, Biden presented an Israeli proposal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire, hoping to break an impasse in stalled negotiations.
The move, which was unusual for the level of detail revealed about another administration’s proposal, appeared designed to put Netanyahu on the spot to either support the framework or reject what Biden said was the government’s own plan. Israeli government.
However, Israel has refused to formally endorse the proposal, and Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that “the claim that we agreed to a ceasefire without our conditions being met is not true. ” He appeared to be referring to the permanent ceasefire outlined in the second phase of the Israeli proposal.
Speaking to reporters Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reiterated Biden’s claim that the proposal the president laid out was an Israeli plan.
“We are confident that it represents a fair and honest Israeli proposal – a very progressive Israeli proposal, and we are confident that Hamas should accept it,” he said.
This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s MJ Lee contributed to this report.
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