Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of parliament on Wednesday afternoon as the country continues its fight against the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched deadly attacks against Israeli civilians, killing more than 1,300 people and taking hundreds of hostages, including those held by Hamas in Gaza.
The United States has supported Israel’s fight against Hamas despite divided support, especially among Democrats. As part of a $95 billion foreign aid package in April, the United States approved about $15 billion in military aid to Israel.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu left for the United States on Monday. (Sebastian Scheiner/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Particularly contentious among Israel skeptics is the humanitarian toll of targeting Hamas in Gaza.
“At a time when Israel is fighting on seven fronts and there is great political uncertainty in Washington, I leave this morning on a very important visit to the United States,” Netanyahu said ahead of his departure for the US on Monday.
“As Israel’s prime minister, I will address both houses of Congress for the fourth time. I will seek to solidify the bipartisan support that is so important to Israel and reassure our friends in both parties that Israel will remain America’s essential and strongest ally in the Middle East, regardless of who the American people choose as their next president.”
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Israel has been at war since October. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Prime Minister Netanyahu will become the first world leader to address a joint session of Parliament four times.
However, several prominent politicians will not be attending, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Bernie Sanders (Independent, VT), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
In addition to Senator Harris, who is considered the Democratic presidential nominee, Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, who is running as former President Trump’s vice presidential nominee, will also be absent from the speech.
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Kamala Harris refused to chair Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress. (Getty Images)
“Senator Vance stands firmly with the Israeli people in the fight to defend their homeland, eradicate the terrorist threat, and rescue our fellow Israelis held hostage. However, due to his duties as the Republican vice presidential nominee, he will not attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
In her role as vice president and president of the Senate, Harris is often expected to preside over joint sessions of Congress alongside the speaker of the House, but that hasn’t always been the case throughout history.
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Vance will not attend the joint session of Congress when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington, DC. (Fox News)
Harris declined to chair Wednesday’s speech, but a senior aide to the vice president confirmed she planned to attend an event in Indiana, contradicting Netanyahu’s statement. Harris’ office did not say whether she would have chaired the speech if she had been in Washington, D.C., for the speech.
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The next chair will be Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chairwoman pro tempore, who has reportedly refused to chair and is boycotting the proceedings altogether. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will take over as chair instead.
During his stay in the capital, Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Biden, Ms Harris and former President Trump. The meetings with Mr Biden and Ms Harris will take place in Washington DC, while the meeting with the former president will take place at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
