Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to depart for Washington on Monday morning aboard his Wing of Zion Boeing 767. The trip was initially scheduled for Sunday but was postponed after his meeting with President Joe Biden had been rescheduled to Tuesday. If you’ve just returned from your long camping trip with the family – Biden announced last night that he was withdrawing from the campaign.
An anonymous source close to Biden’s administration informed The Associated Press on Sunday about the planned meeting between the President and Netanyahu at the White House. However, the exact timing remains uncertain due to Biden’s current recovery from COVID-19.
Netanyahu’s itinerary includes an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. He is also slated to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who has emerged as a contender for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination following Biden’s withdrawal.
Sources close to Netanyahu have cautiously predicted he will meet with former President Trump while in the US. Netanyahu may fly to Florida, where his son Yair celebrates his birthday this Friday – an hour’s drive down I-95 to Mar-a-Lago. Yair is going to turn 33.
For Netanyahu, the most important part of his visit to the US is the speech to Congress – courtesy of Speaker Johnson and House Republicans – much more than the meeting with Biden whose sell-by date is growing shorter even as this article is being written. It is Netanyahu’s fourth speech to Congress – more than any other world leader.
Netanyahu’s speech will aim to make the case for Israel, most crucially in the US, for continuing the war against Hamas until this vile organization is removed from the face of the earth. Netanyahu is expected to devote a significant part of his speech to the hostages, and to this end, he is bringing along a large delegation of soldiers, some of them wounded, and freed hostages. The delegation will also include representatives of 12 hostage families, including Noa Argamani and her father Yaakov.
On Wednesday, at 2 PM, Netanyahu will address both houses of Congress, with all the Republican lawmakers and many Democrats on hand. Only ten lawmakers have announced that they plan to boycott the speech.
Outside, anti-Bibi Israelis will join forces with pro-Hamas demonstrators, practically making the case for Netanyahu and for the Republicans that the left has gone nuts. The more loud and shrill the demonstrators against him will be outside, the more eloquent and convincing the Israeli PM will come across inside.
The US Capitol Police are bolstering security, and its spokesperson revealed plans to enhance protective measures around the event. The reinforced security strategy involves deploying additional officers, including those from external agencies, and ensuring adequate resources for all teams involved. The statement, as cited by several media outlets, also acknowledged the likelihood of significant protest activity. It emphasized respect for First Amendment rights while stressing the requirement for all demonstrations to remain peaceful and within legal boundaries.
Netanyahu will continue, as he always does, to work on his speech until the last minute, aided by his advisors who bombard him with ideas, and speech writers who constantly massage the text. As always, because of the PM’s notorious last-minute corrections, his speech will be kept secret and not released to the media ahead of time, not even under an embargo.
Now, this is all the buildup I can deliver without being accused of being on the PM’s parole.
