Bernie Sanders slams Netanyahu’s invitation to Congress, refuses to attend ‘war criminal’ speech
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he would not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks to a joint session of Congress, calling him a “war criminal.”
“It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited – by leaders of both parties – to speak at a joint meeting of the United States Congress,” Sanders said in a statement Saturday .
Netanyahu was formally invited to speak before Congress on Friday in a letter signed by the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate.
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Senator Bernie Sanders said he would not attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint speech to Congress. (Getty Images)
The official letter came after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made clear his intention to extend the invitation for several weeks. Initially, it was unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would sign, especially after he called on Israel to hold new wartime elections to replace Netanyahu. However, his signature ultimately appeared on the invitation.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to speak at a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend,” Sanders said in concluding his lengthy statement. He referred to recent requests from the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli and Hamas leaders for “war crimes.”
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Johnson led the effort to invite Netanyahu. (Getty Images)
“The ICC is right,” Sanders said.
Sanders is Jewish but has previously said he is no longer involved in organized religion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After receiving the invitation, Netanyahu said in a statement: “I am delighted to represent Israel before both houses of Congress and present the truth about our just war against those who seek our lives to representatives of the American people and the world entire”.
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Sanders has been a vocal critic of Israel. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
His speech will make Netanyahu the first head of state in the world to address both houses of Congress four times.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden recently endorsed a ceasefire deal proposed by Israel, urging Hamas leaders to accept it. He called for an end to the war and said that “at this point, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7.”
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Biden and Netanyahu may not be on the same page regarding a proposed deal. ((Fox News/Getty Images))
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The agreement on the table should include the release of the hostages as well as a lasting ceasefire. It is unclear whether Biden and Netanyahu are on the same page, as the prime minister issued a statement following Biden’s remarks, saying Israel is still committed to “eliminating Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities », in addition to repatriating all the hostages. .
According to Netanyahu’s office, “the precise outlines proposed by Israel, including the conditional transition between stages, allow Israel to maintain these principles.”
Yael Rotem-Kuriel of Fox News contributed to this report.
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