Netanyahu’s Public Criticism of Biden, Blinken Could Mean More Democratic Boycotting of Premier’s July Address to Congress

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address at a joint meeting of Congress next month seems to grow more fraught by the day, as additional Democratic members of the Article II branch say they will not attend the premier’s historic fourth appearance before the body. Mr. Netanyahu’s recent criticism of the Biden administration may drive a substantial number of lawmakers to skip out in protest. On Tuesday, the prime minister said in a video that it was “inconceivable” that President Biden and Secretary Blinken are withholding weapons from the Jewish state during its fight against Hamas at Gaza. The White House says there is only one shipment of large bombs being withheld. “When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a video posted on X. “I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has given Israel from the beginning of the war, but I also said something else: I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel … America’s closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran, and our other common enemies.”“During World War II, Churchill told the United States: ‘Give us the tools and we’ll do the job,’ and I said: ‘Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster,’” he continued. Many Democrats were planning to skip the prime minister’s address even before the video was posted. Axios reported that the video led the White House to scold Mr. Netanyahu and cancel a meeting with Israeli officials. Speaker Pelosi plans to boycott Mr. Netanyahu’s July speech, just as she did with his 2015 address. She said that the decision to invite him — which was made in coordination with her successor, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries — was “sad” and “wrong.” One of Mrs. Pelosi’s former deputies, Congressman Jim Clyburn, will also not attend the speech, saying that he would “treat [Mr. Netanyahu] the same way he treated Barack Obama.”One House Democratic source tells the Sun that “at least” 50 Democrats across both chambers will likely skip the speech on July 24. One lawmaker told Axios that there would be “counter-programming” of Mr. Netanyahu’s address. Some have floated the idea of a vigil or an event with the families of some hostages held by Hamas at Gaza. With this July address, Mr. Netanyahu will be the only foreign official to have spoken to a joint meeting of Congress four times. Prime Minister Churchill delivered three speeches to America’s legislative branch. For his past addresses, Mr. Netanyahu received an especially warm welcome from both sides of the aisle. In both 1996 and 2011, he spoke in the House chamber about the necessity of Israeli security and the peace process with Palestinian Arabs. In the 2011 address, he proclaimed that a divided Jerusalem was not acceptable to his government, which at the time was the preferred outcome of President Obama. President Biden, who was then the vice president, was sitting over Mr. Netanyahu’s shoulder as he thundered the line from the podium and received applause from Democrats and Republicans alike. Mr. Biden did not react when the prime minister called for a unified Jerusalem under Israeli control. His address in 2015 was mired in controversy when Democrats groused that he was attempting to go around Mr. Obama in order to criticize the Iran nuclear deal. Mr. Biden, who was the vice president at the time, did not attend the joint meeting of Congress. Instead, the chair typically occupied by the vice president during these kinds of addresses was taken by the then-president pro tempore of the Senate, Senator Hatch. During that address, Mr. Netanyahu was especially warm to Senator Reid, who was always a fierce supporter of Israel and had recently gone through an extensive eye surgery following an accident. “Harry, it’s good to see you back on your feet,” the prime minister said. Reid’s successor as Senate Democratic leader, Senator Schumer, is unlikely to receive such a warm welcome from Mr. Netanayhu as he addresses the joint meeting. In March, the New York senator called for new elections to be held in Israel, saying that Mr. Netanyahu “has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.” Mr. Schumer said the prime minister was turning Israel into a global “pariah.”In 2015, dozens of Democrats were upset that Mr. Netanyahu had been invited to speak at all. In total, eight senators and 50 House members boycotted the 2015 address, including Senators Sanders, Warren, and Kaine, as well as the current House minority whip, Congresswoman Katherine Clark.

Netanyahu’s Public Criticism of Biden, Blinken Could Mean More Democratic Boycotting of Premier’s July Address to Congress

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