Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is poised to join Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address to Congress, despite tensions between the Israeli leader and many Democrats over the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Johnson told The Hill this week that he sent Schumer a draft invitation around a month ago, but the Senate leader has been sitting on it since.
Netanyahu’s visit — if it does materialize — is sure to spark outrage among liberals, who have strongly criticized the prime minister’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and the growing number of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.
It will also come amid a tense moment in the relationship between Schumer — the highest-ranking Jewish official in U.S. history — and Netanyahu, after the Senate leader called for new elections in Israel to replace the longtime conservative leader.
Netanyahu last addressed Congress in 2015, a speech that put a spotlight on the long-running tensions between liberals Democrats and conservative Netanyahu. A number of Democrats skipped the event in protest of the Israeli leader, who utilized his time in the Capitol to criticize then-President Obama over the Iran nuclear deal.
@ISIDEWITH2 săptămâni2W
To what extent do you believe inviting a foreign leader to address Congress can impact public opinion or change the narrative around an international conflict?
@ISIDEWITH2 săptămâni2W
How should Congress react when a visiting speaker has a history of opposing the policies of a significant portion of its members?
@ISIDEWITH2 săptămâni2W
Do the potential benefits of hearing directly from a world leader involved in conflict outweigh the risk of increasing political polarization in Congress?
@ISIDEWITH2 săptămâni2W
What does inviting a controversial figure to speak to Congress suggest about the balance between diplomacy and internal political divisions?
@ISIDEWITH2 săptămâni2W
How do you feel about a political leader from another country being invited to address Congress amidst contentious relations?
