Netanyahu to address joint session of US Congress 'soon' as tensions between US and Israel escalate

Amid the brewing tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Biden administration over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced that the Israeli premier will give an address to a joint session of the American Congress.

While Johnson did not reveal the exact date Netanyahu will address the floor, he made it clear that the event will happen “soon”. “This will be a timely and a very strong show of support to the Israeli government in their time of greatest need,” Johnson said in a speech at the Israeli Embassy in Washington’s annual Independence Day event, The Times of Israel reported.

The House Speaker also mentioned that he got approval for the same from US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and informed that the formal invitation will be sent out soon.

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Schumer’s decision to sign off the invitation came just one month after he called for early elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu. Schumer went on to refer to the Israeli Prime Minister as an “obstacle to peace”.

Things are not as easy as it looks 

Even if a full invitation is formally extended, it is entirely not clear whether Netanyahu will accept it or not. It is pertinent to note that around 60 Democrats boycotted Netanyahu’s last joint address in 2015. The controversial joint session was organised by Republican Congressional leaders behind the back of then-president Barak Obama.

The Israeli premier used the platform at that time to lobby against the Nuclear deal which Washington ended up signing with Iran later that year. A much larger number of Democrats could boycott Nentanyahu’s address as many of them expressed discontent over the way Israel is “steam-rolling” into Gaza.

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The war which was triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack in Southern Israel has garnered severe criticism over the Netanyahu administration’s complete disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians.

The tensions between Israel and the United States have also escalated after Washington expressed their discontent over the Netanyahu administration’s plan to launch a ground assault in Gaza. While Netanyahu has an invite from the Congress, he is yet to receive one from the White House.

The Israel premier’s decision to travel to the United States without an invite from the White House has the potential to reflect further cracks in Israel-US ties. The Israeli prime minister is yet to receive an invite from the White House ever since he came back to office in 2022.