House and Senate leadership formally invited Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to deliver a joint address to Congress despite increased criticism of the war in Gaza against Hamas.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sent a letter on Friday inviting Netanyahu, though it did not indicate a specific date for him to speak.
The leaders said they chose to formally request the prime minister to speak in response to the war sparked by Hamas launching a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that led to the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of 252 hostages.
“The existential challenges we face, including the growing partnership between Iran, Russia, and China, threaten the security, peace, and prosperity of our countries and of free people around the world,” he said. “To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel, we invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.”
Netanyahu has delivered a joint address to Congress on three occasions during: once in 1996 during his first run; again in 2011 and a third time in 2015 during his second run. This will be his first address since he reassumed office in 2022.
Johnson told The Independent last week that Schumer agreed to invite Netanyahu to deliver an address, but that they were working on a date. Other Democrats, including progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, criticized the invitation, calling it a “divisive and unproductive activity.”
Previously, Netanyahu had addressed the Senate Republican conference during a closed-door lunch.
But the invitation comes after the top prosecutor for the International Criminal Court announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and senior Hamas officials. All four major leaders condemned the announcement, as did many other senior congressional leaders when Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The invitation comes despite the fact that Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish-American official, called for new elections in Israel earlier this year, which Johnson and McConnell swiftly denounced.
The invitation also comes the same day that President Joe Biden urged Israel and Hamas to accept an Israeli-supported plan for a “full and complete ceasefire.”
Last year, Israeli President Isaac Herzog delivered a joint address to Congress, which some progressives boycotted and led to Herzog criticizing them.
