Despite deep political divisions in the United States regarding the war in Gaza, the top four congressional leaders on Friday extended a formal bipartisan invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress.
The invitation was issued without specifying a date and was aimed to demonstrate unity despite the fraught behind-the-scenes deliberations surrounding the decision to receive the Israeli PM.
Netanyahu tweeted the bipartisan invitation under the statement, “I am excited by the privilege to represent Israel before both houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson had been advocating for weeks to invite Netanyahu, seeking to strengthen ties with the PM, but the invitation also highlighted the growing rift among Democrats, as Progressives, in particular, have vehemently condemned Netanyahu’s war tactics.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) denounced the invitation, tweeting, “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend.” He added, “The ICC is seeking warrants for the arrest of Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas. The ICC is right. Both of these people are engaged in clear and outrageous violations of international law.”
At his advanced age, it is understandable that Sanders confused the demand of ICC prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan with the yet-to-be-issued ruling of the court in The Hague, a mistake all progressives have been making recently because, you know, due process is not for Zionists.
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) have already announced their intention to skip Netanyahu’s address. Earlier, when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was asked if Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer should add his signature to Netanyahu’s invitation, she responded with a flat-out “no.” Both Pelosi and Schumer openly advocated for Netanyahu’s resignation, as do at least a third of Israelis who are the only ones with the right to vote on this matter.
Almost 60 Democrats boycotted Netanyahu’s last address in 2015, in which he attacked President Barack Obama’s decision to sign a nuclear pact with Iran and unfreeze $100 billion in Iranian funds which the Islamic Republic was later able to use to build up Hamas and Hezbollah in its indefatigable effort to murder Jews.
