Protests and boycotts — Israel’s Netanyahu addresses US Congress

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are removed by United States Capitol Police while protesting in the Cannon House Office Building before the visit of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on 23 July 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Michael Reynolds)

By Reuters

24 Jul 2024

The longtime Israeli leader made a record fourth speech to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, passing British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made three such speeches.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Wednesday, expressing dismay over the thousands of civilian deaths and the humanitarian crisis from Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

Outside the Capitol, thousands of demonstrators took to nearby streets to protest against Netanyahu’s appearance amid the tightest security since the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol by supporters of former president, Republican Donald Trump. The Capitol building was surrounded by high fencing, with a heavy police presence.

Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and their supporters take part in a protest against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for the release of the hostages, outside the USA embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, 24 July 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / ABIR SULTAN)

netanyahu congress washington US Capitol police, alongside members of the NYPD, pepper-spray protesters gathered outside the US Capitol in protest against the Israeli operations in Gaza and US weapons sales to Israel, before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an address to a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC, on 24 July 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Jim Lo Scalzo)

Some protesters were out on Wednesday hours before Netanyahu’s speech, holding signs including, “Stop War Crimes in Gaza”. Dozens of Washington streets were closed, with some neighbourhoods patrolled by New York City police officers.

Just before he spoke, the US Capitol police reported that some of the protests a few blocks from the building had become violent, prompting them to use pepper spray.

Given a standing ovation on his arrival, the longtime Israeli leader delivered his speech to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives in a city preoccupied with domestic politics.

“America and Israel must stand together,” Netanyahu said as he began his speech.

It was a record fourth speech by a foreign leader to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, passing British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made three.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are removed by United States Capitol Police while protesting in the Cannon House Office Building on the eve of the visit of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, 23 July 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / MICHAEL REYNOLDS)

Legislators uncomfortable

Some Democrat lawmakers said they were uncomfortable about appearing to endorse Netanyahu and his hard-right coalition government as he faced declining poll numbers in Israel.

Others said they wanted Netanyahu to focus on reaching a ceasefire agreement and bringing home all hostages seized by Hamas on 7 October 2023, in the deadly raid that precipitated the Israeli campaign in Gaza.

“For him, this is all about shoring up his support back home, which is one of the reasons I don’t want to attend,” Senator Chris Van Hollen told reporters. “I don’t want to be part of a political prop in this act of deception. He is not the great guardian of the US-Israel relationship.”

A Republican House member, Representative Thomas Massie, also said in a post on X that he would not attend. “The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel and to quell int’l opposition to his war. I don’t feel like being a prop so I won’t be attending,” Massie wrote.

Some of the most prominent Democrats skipped the speech. They included Senators Dick Durbin, the chamber’s No 2 Democrat, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz, all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Patty Murray, who chairs Senate Appropriations.

In the House, absentees were to include progressive Representatives Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Ami Bera and Joaquin Castro, senior members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Adam Smith, the top Democrat on Armed Services and Rosa DeLauro, his counterpart on the appropriations committee.

Smith said he never attended joint meetings, but also described himself on Tuesday as “very, very opposed to what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing in Israel.”

Netanyahu meeting Biden and Harris

Washington is preoccupied with the fallout from President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was ending his reelection bid and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination to challenge Trump.

Biden and Harris will both meet Netanyahu on Thursday, and are expected to press him for progress toward a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas. Harris has at times been more forward-leaning than her boss in criticising Israel for heavy Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.

Netanyahu was to travel to Florida to meet Trump on Friday. The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump’s presidency, during which the two forged close ties.

Harris, who would normally preside over the speech as vice-president, did not attend. Neither did Republican Senator JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential running mate. DM

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Legislators uncomfortable

Netanyahu meeting Biden and Harris