U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will be absent from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
Though it is customary for vice presidents who additionally serve as presidents of the Senate to attend speeches by foreign leaders, she has declined to preside over the session in question.
An aide to Harris told The New York Times on Monday that her absence will be due to a scheduling conflict and does not reflect a change in her position vis-a-vis Israel.
Two people familiar with the plans for the speech told the Times that Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee and is a Jewish pro-Israel Democrat, will sit beside House Speaker Mike Johnson and behind Netanyahu during the address.
Harris is, however, scheduled to meet with Netanyahu during his visit to Washington this week.
President Joe Biden endorsed Harris to lead the Democratic ticket this November against Republican challenger Donald Trump for the White House after dropping out of the race on Sunday.
Biden is also scheduled to meet with Netanyahu at the White House, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken likely in attendance.
The Vice President is supposed to preside over joint sessions of Congress. @KamalaHarris refusal to do so when the Prime Minister of Israel makes his first public address in the United States since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, tells you everything you need to know about…
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) July 23, 2024
