House Republicans are considering whether to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress as tensions persist on Capitol Hill on whether to provide foreign aid amid its war against Hamas.
In a closed-door meeting on Wednesday morning, Republican lawmakers discussed the possibility of inviting the prime minister to speak with Congress, a source familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The consideration comes after House Republicans rebuked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for his remarks last week suggesting Israel should hold new leadership elections.
“We didn’t talk about those logistics, but it’s one of the things that we have in mind, and we may try to arrange for that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said. “I think it’s 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, and we’ll try to advance that in every way that we can.”
Johnson said he spoke with Netanyahu in a “lengthy conversation” on Wednesday morning to reiterate “House Republicans’ strong support for Israel and their efforts.” The speaker said he also specifically expressed his “strong disagreement” with Schumer’s comments just a week earlier.
Schumer called for new elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu during a floor speech on Thursday, declaring that the Israeli leader had “lost his way.”
Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S. government, offered scathing criticism of Netanyahu and his right-wing Cabinet, claiming, “He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.”
House Republicans were quick to rebuke those comments, calling them a dangerous attack on the “democratically elected leadership of Israel.”
It’s not yet clear when Netanyahu would address Congress, and the House is scheduled to go on a two-week recess beginning Monday. Netanyahu is scheduled to speak with senators virtually on Wednesday afternoon, and the prime minister also spoke with President Joe Biden earlier this week.
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The speech could stir some anger among some Democrats because it’s reminiscent of when Republicans invited Netanyahu to address Congress in 2015 before informing the Obama administration of their plans. In that speech, Netanyahu slammed then-President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran in an address that angered many Democratic lawmakers.
Netanyahu’s speech could also anger some lawmakers who have opposed providing foreign aid to Israel amid its war with Hamas and have instead repeatedly called for a ceasefire.