Will Prime Minister Netanyahu Deliver a Scoop in His Address to Congress Next Week?

Can Prime Minister Netanyahu get politics-obsessed America to ponder, at least for one Wednesday afternoon next week, a top foreign policy issue? Following President Trump’s triumphant Republican convention and competing with the drama of the Democrats convention next month will be a tough act. Mr. Netanyahu will land at Washington over the weekend on the eve of his fourth address to a joint session of Congress. He was invited by Speaker Johnson and the majority leader in the Senate, Charles “Chuck” Schumer. He is also expected to visit the White House for the first time since reelection as premier in 2022.Yet, President Biden is reportedly battling Covid, so who would greet the Israeli guest? The National Security Council’s spokesman, John Kirby, tells reporters today that if health allows, Mr. Biden is expected to sit down with Mr. Netanyahu. Separately, Vice President Harris — a contender to be the presidential nominee if Mr. Biden withdraws — will also meet Mr. Netanyahu. It is unclear if Mr. Netanyahu will also meet with or otherwise contact Trump. Following the Saturday shooting in Pennsylvania, Mr. Netanyahu said in a posted video that he was “shocked,” and wished him a speedy recovery. Trump posted the video on his Truth Social website.Mr. Netanyahu’s relations with Mr. Biden and Trump have been rocky, albeit for different reasons. Yet, he seems eager to plead Israel’s case to Americans. A number of Democratic legislators plan to boycott the congressional joint meeting, indicating the party’s softening support. Can a visitor ignore American politics?“He shouldn’t touch that at all,” a former Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, tells the Sun. “Bibi will highlight American support, and praise everything Biden has done for Israel since the start of the war. He will talk about the dangers in northern Israel, and Iran, Iran, Iran. He won’t mention disputes” with Washington. Displaying early warm sympathy, including, after the October 7 attack, an unprecedented presidential visit to Israel, Mr. Biden and his aides are distancing America from Israel. Now, though, Mr. Netanyahu may have a scoop. On Thursday, he visited Israeli troops at Rafah, a southern Gaza city that Mr. Biden has endlessly warned Israel to avoid attacking, contending that there is no way Israel could evacuate 1.2 million civilians from there.The Israel Defense Force nevertheless conducted the evacuation quickly, and Mr. Netanyahu now feels secure enough to visit Rafah as it now is mostly under IDF control. Also on Thursday, the Knesset overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state. That could be seen as a slap to Mr. Biden, who sees the so-called two-state solution as central to his vision of post-war Mideast. Israelis have soured on the concept after October 7. Meanwhile, the Biden administration almost daily imposes new sanctions on Israelis whom it considers extremists. On Wednesday the Department of State announced sanctions against a former IDF soldier, Elor Azaria, and his family — over an eight-year old case.In 2016 Mr. Azaria, while on duty in a West Bank checkpoint, shot and killed a wounded Palestinian terrorist. He was then convicted in an Israeli court of unlawful killing, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He served nine months. Israel “has an independent, robust judicial system that is both capable and willing to punish under Israeli law,” a top opposition leader, Benny Gantz, wrote on X in response. “There is no reason why the US State Department should impose sanctions against Israeli civilians” and “interfere in Israel’s internal legal processes.”Trump’s relations with Mr. Netanyahu have also soured after the Israeli premier congratulated Mr. Biden on his 2020 election win. In a post-election interview with an Israeli reporter, Trump used an epithet and cursed Mr. Netanyahu over his perceived betrayal. Beyond American politics, Mr. Netanyahu’s visit could be overshadowed by opponents at home. Specifically, a growing number of Israelis are pressuring him to complete an American-sponsored deal to release some of the 120 hostages held in Hamas custody in return to a Gaza ceasefire.IDF control of the border between Gaza and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, is “critical,” Mr. Netanyahu told troops while at Rafah Thursday. The statement was seen by some as a way to impede a hostage release deal, which the CIA director, William Burns, is negotiating with Egyptian, Qatari, and Israeli counterparts. Mr. Netanyahu might seal a deal before next Wednesday, or even announce it in his Washington speech. Yet, that will “depend on what Hamas agrees to, and if Bibi accepts the deal’s conditions,” rather than American or Israeli politics, Mr. Oren says. Can Mr. Netanyahu spend a whole week in America during an active war? Can he avoid all the political landmines involved? Oratory skills are the reason that Mr. Netanyahu was invited to address Congress in the first place.Mr. Netanyahu and another supporter of the Zionist cause, Winston Churchill, are the only foreign leaders to address a joint meeting of Congress three times. Mr. Netanyahu is on the brink of becoming the only person to address the two houses four times.

Will Prime Minister Netanyahu Deliver a Scoop in His Address to Congress Next Week?

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