Johnson says Netanyahu to address joint session of Congress ‘soon’ 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) announced Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress “soon.”

“Tonight I am pleased to share one more thing with you: We will shortly be inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to the Knesset to hold a joint session of Parliament,” Johnson said at a news conference on Thursday. speech The event, organized by the Israeli Embassy, ​​commemorated Israel’s independence.

“I think this is timely and a very strong show of support for the Israeli government at a time when it needs it most,” he continued.

The Hill has reached out to Johnson’s office for details on the exact date, but Johnson told reporters on Wednesday he was working with Netanyahu and expected to send a formal invitation later this week. NBC News reported.

The expected joint session came after days of debate between Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over whether Netanyahu should be allowed to address a joint session of Congress amid sharp criticism of Israel’s strategy in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Johnson said Wednesday he expected Schumer to approve Netanyahu’s visit after telling the Senate president that a joint invitation would have to be signed and that the House would then move forward with the process of inviting the Israeli prime minister to a House-only meeting.

Schumer’s office told The Hill earlier this month that the Senate Majority Leader “intends to accept the invitation but is still negotiating the timing.”

The Hill reached out to Schumer’s office for comment Thursday night.

Some Democratic lawmakers have already said they plan to skip the speech, including Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who is Jewish and has described Netanyahu as a “threat.”

“I boycotted his last visit and I definitely will not attend this one either,” she said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said Wednesday he would boycott any speeches by Netanyahu, citing the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where at least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since early October.

The last time Netanyahu visited the Capitol and addressed Congress was in 2015, when several Democratic lawmakers skipped the speech in protest of the Israeli prime minister’s criticism of then-President Obama over the Iran nuclear deal.

Schumer’s pledge of support for Netanyahu came after he called for new elections in the country in a Senate floor speech in March and said Netanyahu had “lost his way.”