Netanyahu to be First Leader to Address Congress Four Times But Still No White House Invite
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Congress on July 24th, he will become the first foreign leader to address a joint session of the US Congress four times. The invitation came as a result of efforts by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was leading an effort to stop Netanyahu from addressing Congress, who gave a speech in March calling for new elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu.
“I am very moved to have the privilege of representing 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,” Netanyahu said in the statement.
However, this upcoming visit does not indicate any warming of relations between the US president and the PM.
“I don’t have anything to announce today,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” adding the two men were in regular communication.
“He’s coming to address the Congress. The president talks to him all the time,” Sullivan said.
While technically accurate, Sullivan’s comment was misleading. It should be noted that after three years, Biden has still not invited Netanyahu to the White House. The two met in the US once on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City. Biden also came to Israel soon after the Oct. 7 Palestinian Hamas attack for a 31-hour visit. During the visit, he pledged$100 million in aid to Gaza despite much of the humanitarian aid being hijacked by Hamas to continue its war against Israel.
A growing list of Democrats are announcing they will boycott the Israeli leader’s address.
When Netanyahu addressed Congress in 2015 in an attempt to counter Obama’s push to advance the nuclear deal with Iran, the then-vice president skipped the address along with 50 Democratic House members and eight senators who caucus with the Democrats. It should also be noted that President Obama refused to meet with Netanyahu on his visit to the US at the time.
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