Dozens of lawmakers are boycotting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Capitol Hill on Wednesday while President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris prepare to meet with the Israeli leader at the White House the following day.
Among the notable absentees are Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Nearly all of the boycotting lawmakers are Democrats who oppose Netanyahu’s handling of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“I will stand by Israel, but I will not stand and cheer its current Prime Minister at tomorrow’s Joint Session,” Durbin said in a statement on Tuesday. He condemned the Hamas attack on October 7 as “unprovoked and cowardly” but criticized Netanyahu’s strategy in Gaza, citing the high Palestinian civilian death toll.
Pelosi, who has previously called for Netanyahu’s resignation, also chose to skip the speech. Her spokesman stated, “Speaker Pelosi will not attend today’s Joint Meeting of Congress. This morning, she will join a Members meeting with Israeli citizens whose families have suffered in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terror attack and kidnappings.”
Johnson defended Netanyahu’s visit, stating it was an essential expression of U.U.S.upport for Israel, describing the current situation as “arguably the most desperate time for Israel since they became a nation-state again.”
As many as 30 Democrats have publicly stated they will not attend, according to NBC News. However, this is fewer than the 58 lawmakers who skipped Netanyahu’s 2015 speech warning against the Obama-brokered Iran nuclear deal.
Vice President Harris is skipping the address to attend an event in Indianapolis with one of the historically black “Divine Nine” sororities. However, she and President Biden will meet with Netanyahu separately on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meetings, stating, “The leaders will discuss developments in Gaza, progress towards a cease-fire and hostage release deal, and the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, including countering Iran’s threats to Israel and the broader region.”
Jean-Pierre added that following their meetings, Biden and Harris would meet together with the families of Americans held hostage by Hamas.
With Harris’ refusal to attend the congressional speech, Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.) was next in line to preside, but she also declined. The responsibility then fell to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who stated he would use the opportunity to advocate for the release of hostages.
The absence of some lawmakers has drawn criticism from figures such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and condemned his invitation to address Congress. Some Republicans, like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), have denounced the speech as “political theatre.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), one of several Democrats undecided about attending, sharply criticized Netanyahu on X (formerly Twitter), calling him “the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago,” despite his decision to attend the speech.
Despite the controversy, Netanyahu’s fourth address to a joint meeting of Congress marks a significant moment in U.S.-Israel relations, just 75 days before the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack. USU.S.apitol Police and other law enforcement agencies, including the NYPD, were present on Capitol Hill ahead of the speech, with barricades erected to prevent disruptions from thousands of protesters calling for Netanyahu’s arrest.
Though Biden has denounced the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu as “outrageous,” the administration has expressed disapproval of his leadership during the war against Hamas, particularly over the high civilian death toll in Gaza.
