After weeks of delay, US Congress formally invites Netanyahu to speak at joint session

Leaders of both parties in the US Congress have sent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a formal invitation to speak at a joint session of Congress, a show of their wartime support for their longtime ally, Israel, despite growing political divisions over the war with Hamas in Gaza.

The letter was signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, and the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.

In the letter, congressional leaders said the invitation was intended to “underscore America’s solidarity with Israel.”

“We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision to defend democracy, combat terrorism, and establish a just and lasting peace in the region,” they wrote.

An Israeli official confirmed to reporters that Netanyahu had received the invitation.

The speech is expected to take place “as early as the next eight weeks or shortly after the August break,” a close source told The Hill.

The Hill said the invitation — first suggested by Johnson — came after weeks of delay caused by Schumer, who gave a Senate speech in March calling for early elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu. Schumer ultimately acquiesced, saying he was willing to cooperate with a Netanyahu speech provided it was done in a bipartisan manner.

“The horrific attacks of October 7 shocked the world and forced your nation to fight for its very existence. We join the State of Israel in your fight against terrorism, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders jeopardize regional stability,” it reads. in the letter. “For this reason, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, we would like to invite you to speak at a joint meeting of Congress.”

An official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu had spoken with interest to Republican congressional leaders in recent weeks about a possible speech at a joint session, seeing it as an opportunity to make the case for ‘Israel on the world stage and cared less about some of the political fallout in the United States.

Republicans, including presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, have been keen to show their support for Netanyahu and denounce Democratic divisions on Israel.

Nearly 60 Democrats boycotted Netanyahu’s final joint session speech in 2015, organized by Republican congressional leaders behind the back of then-President Barack Obama so that the Israeli prime minister would lobby against the nuclear deal that Washington ended up signing with Iran later that year. .

Far more Democrats would likely boycott a Netanyahu speech, as the war in Gaza has become increasingly unpopular among progressives.

The war sparked by the Hamas atrocities of October 7 also led to a breakdown in Netanyahu’s relations with US President Joe Biden, who in May threatened for the first time to withdraw Israel’s weapons if Israel launched a massive offensive in the civilian areas of Rafah.

Although Netanyahu has confirmed the congressional invitation, he has not yet received one from the White House and going to Washington without one would only further highlight divisions.

Even before October 7, Netanyahu had not received an invitation to the White House since returning to power in late 2022, as he quickly drew Biden’s ire for his efforts to radically overhaul Israel’s justice system and its actions seen as harming the US administration’s attempt to preserve the outlook. for a two-state solution. Biden visited Israel shortly after the Hamas-led attack, in the first-ever trip by a US president to the war-torn Jewish state.

Notably, Friday’s invitation came minutes after Biden delivered a speech laying out what he said was Israel’s latest proposal for a hostage deal and ceasefire to end the war, and calling on Hamas to accept the offer.

A congressional aide told The Times of Israel that Schumer’s office had coordinated with the White House on the issue.

If he continues to deliver this speech, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to address joint meetings of Congress four times. He is currently tied for third place with Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.