Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon be addressing a joint meeting of Congress. Netanyahu was formally invited through a letter by the leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives on Friday.
Israeli leader invited to share his vision
The letter inviting Netanyahu was signed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Contents of the letter said that the US invited the Israeli leader to share his “government’s vision for defending democracy, combating terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.”
It did not propose a date for the speech.
Netanyahu remains popular with Republicans
Republican speaker Mike Johnson is a staunch supporter of Israel. Her said he would invite Netanyahu whether or not congressional Democratic leaders signed the letter.
Many Republicans had criticised Biden for saying he would withhold a shipment of bombs to Israel if it mounted a large-scale invasion of Rafah. Billions of dollars in US-made weaponry remain in the pipeline for shipment to Israel.
Addresses to joint meetings of Congress by foreign leaders are a rare honour. Netanyahu has already given three such addresses, most recently in 2015.
This speech would make Netanyahu the first foreign leader to address joint meetings of Congress four times.
The invitation to address Congress was on the same day of the Gaza ceasefire proposal. Biden called on Hamas to agree to the new offer, saying it was the best way to end the conflict.
Netanyahu has long aligned himself with US Republicans. He addressed Republican senators via a video link in March. This was a week after Schumer gave a Senate speech branding the prime minister an obstacle to peace.
With inputs from Reuters
