House Republicans may invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress in the coming days amid a growing rift between President Bidenâs administration and the Israeli government.
Israel is sending a delegation to discuss plans for an invasion of Rafah with White House officials. Bidenâs administration has repeatedly criticized Israelâs plans, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., publicly disavowed Netanyahuâs leadership in a floor speech last week that drew condemnation from Republican leadership and Israeli officials.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he had a âlengthy conversationâ with Netanyahu on Wednesday morning, but he did not confirm plans to invite him to give an address.
âWe didnât talk about those logistics, but itâs one of the things that we have in mind, and we may try to arrange for that,â Johnson told reporters. âI think itâs very important for us to show solidarity and support with Israel right now in their time of great struggle. And we certainly stand for that position. Weâll try to advance that in every way that we can.â
House Republicans may invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress amid a growing rift between President Bidenâs administration and the Israeli government. (AP Photo)
Relations between the U.S. and Israel reached a low point last week when Schumer called for Israel to hold elections and remove Netanyahu from office.
SCHUMERâS ANTI-NETANYAHU SPEECH STRENGTHENS BIBI IN ISRAELâS WAR TO DEFEAT HAMAS
The majority leader said he believed that âPrime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel.â
Relations between the U.S. and Israel reached perhaps their lowest point ever last week when Schumer called for Israel to hold elections and remove Netanyahu from office. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Netanyahu responded in a Sunday appearance on âFox & Friends Weekend.â
âI think Schumerâs statements are wholly inappropriate. I think weâre not a banana republic. The people of Israel will choose when theyâll have elections, who they elect, and itâs not something that will be foisted upon us,â he said.
âJust imagine that, after 9/11, and when youâre in the midst of fighting al Qaeda, and winning⊠some Israeli would say, âOh, the right thing to do is not to have new elections in America or have President Bush resign.â Itâs inappropriate. Shouldnât have been said. Itâs wrong,â he added.
Speaker Mike Johnson says he is considering inviting Netanyahu to address Congress. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
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A coalition of conservative groups organized by former Vice-President Mike Penceâs non-profit, Advancing American Freedom, released a letter Wednesday similarly demanding Netanyahu be invited to speak.
âWe respectfully request that you extend an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress,â the letter from the coalition addressed to Johnson states. âThe address would allow Prime Minister Netanyahu to directly update Congress and the American people on the ongoing war.â
It continues, âIt would help fact cut through fiction, as the mediaâs attention on the Israel-Hamas war and the remaining hostages, particularly the five Americans still believed to be held hostage by Hamas, continues to fade.â
Netanyahuâs office was not immediately available for comment.
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