Netanyahu to Address Congress Amid Heightened Tensions in Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, front, attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, in Jerusalem, Israel, on May 6, 2024. (Amir Cohen via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address Congress on July 24, making the case for the United States to keep supporting Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.

It will be Mr. Netanyahu’s fourth speech to a joint session of Congress, a record for a foreign leader.

Mr. Netanyahu will speak to lawmakers amid a push by President Joe Biden for a peace framework that includes a cease-fire and the release of the remaining hostages Hamas took on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack resulted in the murder of more than 1,200 Israelis and 250 hostages were taken.

Eight of the hostages are Americans.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on July 19 that a deal is “inside the 10-yard line,” though “the last 10 yards are the hardest.”

Israel has said that its mission to destroy Hamas has not changed.

Its military campaign has come under scrutiny by the United States and the international community over what they say is Israel’s failure to sufficiently avoid civilian casualties, an allegation the Jewish state has rejected.

A humanitarian crisis exists in Gaza despite the United States, Israel, and their allies delivering aid. There have been reports of Hamas confiscating such assistance.

During its operation in the Gaza Strip, Israel has also faced attacks from and retaliated against Hezbollah to its north.

In April, Israel also came under missile attack from Iran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah. Most of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel and allied countries. Israel then launched a limited military retaliation against Iran.

The Biden administration has come under fire for its Iran policy including lifting and not enforcing sanctions, and issuing sanctions waivers.

This has also included the State Department removing the designation of the Iran-backed Houthis as a terrorist organization shortly after President Biden took office. The Houthis were redesignated as terrorist group in January. On July 19, the Houthis struck Tel Aviv with an unmanned aerial vehicle that killed one person and injured 10.

Mr. Netanyahu’s speech will occur amid a rise of anti-Semitism in the United States. President Biden has condemned anti-Semitism.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)—signed off on a May 31 letter inviting Mr. Netanyahu.

Mr. Schumer joined in allowing Mr. Netanyahu to address Congress despite berating the prime minister in a speech earlier this year on the Senate floor where he called for new elections in Israel.

Some Democrat lawmakers have already stated they will boycott the speech in protest against Israel’s policies in Gaza. The speech will occur more than a year after Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a joint session of Congress to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary. Some Democrat lawmakers skipped that event. 

Mr. Netanyahu and President Biden have sparred during the war, though the two are expected to meet in Washington.

Mr. Netanyahu released a video last month on social media, blaming the Biden administration for withholding weapons from Israel.

The administration denied this was the case, but said Washington had put a hold on a shipment of 2000-pound bombs, citing that Israel could use them in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where it is believed the last Hamas battalion is located.

The administration opposed a full-scale invasion of Rafah—which Israel ended up launching—as it was heavily populated with civilians and Washington was worried about the possibility of a drastic loss of civilian life.

Nonetheless, predicted Jewish Policy Center senior director Shoshana Bryen, Mr. Netanyahu will “focus on Congress’ willingness to fund and approve the money and the weapons.”

The last time Mr. Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress in 2015, he warned about a nuclear deal with Iran. The deal was made between Iran and the United States, the European Union, and other countries, and included sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran scaling back its weapons program.

President Barack Obama and his administration, including Vice President Joe Biden, refused to meet with Mr. Netanyahu during his 2015 visit. Nearly 60 Democrats boycotted the speech in Congress.

However, the stakes of Mr. Netanyahu’s upcoming address are different from the 2015 one, analysts said.

“The U.S.-Israel relationship is currently at something of a low point. The prime minister needs to deliver a clear message and speak directly to the American people.

“He needs to win over Israel’s cause once again in Americans’ minds,” conservative commentator Josh Hammer told The Epoch Times.

Jonathan Sarna, a professor of Jewish history at Brandeis University, told The Epoch Times that the 2015 address was partisan, so “one hopes that this time he will appeal to both parties and try harder to forge a consensus on behalf of beleaguered Israel.”