(Washington) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a divided U.S. Congress on Wednesday, where he will seek to pressure the United States amid tensions between the two allies after more than nine months of war in Gaza.
The Israeli leader’s visit to Washington comes at a time of political turmoil in the United States, with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race for the White House and the entry into the fray of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is well on her way to becoming the Democratic candidate in the November election.
This is the fourth time – a record for a foreign leader – that Mr. Netanyahu will address Congress, which is usually reserved for leaders on state visits. He is scheduled to address both houses in a special session starting at 2 p.m. ET.
“I will tell my friends on both sides that no matter which president the American people choose next, Israel remains America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said ahead of his trip.
PHOTO UMIT BEKTAS, REUTERS
The Israeli leader’s visit to Washington comes amid political turmoil in the United States.
On Thursday, he will meet with President Joe Biden, with whom he has a complicated relationship, to discuss “the situation in Gaza,” “progress toward a ceasefire” and “an agreement on the release of the hostages,” according to the White House.
Kamala Harris, who will not attend his speech due to a scheduled trip, will meet separately with the Israeli leader on Thursday. In response to her absence, an Israeli government spokesperson said the speech was “more important than any one individual.”
Mr. Netanyahu will then travel to the Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday, at the invitation of Donald Trump, with the two men saying they get along famously. Interestingly, Mr. Netanyahu is in Washington not at the invitation of the White House, but at that of the Republican parliamentary leaders, who have been joined in spite of themselves by the Democratic leaders.
Thousands of protesters
The visit of the Israeli prime minister, who arrived in Washington on Monday, has caused chaos. Many elected Democrats are up in arms against the Israeli right-wing leader, condemning his conduct of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in thousands of Palestinian deaths and a humanitarian catastrophe. They have announced a boycott of the speech to Congress.
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington police begin clearing protesters blocking traffic on Independence Avenue near the National Mall.
A very influential figure in the Democratic camp, Nancy Pelosi announced that she will not attend the speech. On X, left-wing senator Bernie Sanders considered that “Netanyahu is not welcome.”
On Wednesday morning, outside the barricaded Congress, thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Washington, where Palestinian flags had been hung from lampposts. In the crowd, signs urging the United States to “stop American aid to Israel” and calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” were displayed.
The United States is Israel’s primary ally and main military supporter, but the Biden administration has grown irritated in recent months by the consequences of Israel’s response to the October 7 attack on its soil by Hamas, insisting on the protection of civilians and the entry of humanitarian aid.
PHOTO UMIT BEKTAS, REUTERS
Pro-Palestinian protesters hold placards calling for an end to the Israeli attack on Gaza.
“We are here to show our opposition to the reception of the criminal Netanyahu in our capital by the same political leaders who send him weapons to kill children in Gaza,” Karameh Kuemmerle of the association Doctors Against Genocide told AFP.
Washington has gone so far as to suspend the delivery of certain types of bombs – without ending its support – provoking the anger of the Israeli government.
Post-war gap
Mr Netanyahu is expected to use the congressional platform to defend his goal of eliminating Hamas and to stress the threat from Iran.
For now, the American president’s priority is rather to press Mr. Netanyahu to conclude a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, at a time when some suspect him of dragging his feet under pressure from the extreme right members of his government. For Washington, it is also a question of preparing for the post-war period. And there, the gap between the two governments is gaping, particularly on the prospect of creating a Palestinian state.
PHOTO UMIT BEKTAS, REUTERS
The US president’s priority is to press Mr Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
On October 7, Hamas commandos infiltrated from Gaza into southern Israel carried out an attack that killed 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data. Of the 251 people kidnapped at the time, 116 are still being held in Gaza, including 44 who died, according to the army.
In response, Israel launched an air and then ground campaign against the poor and overpopulated territory, which has so far killed 39,145 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza government.