Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday, seeking to gain support for the ongoing war in Gaza.
Around half of House and Senate Democrats chose not to attend the speech. The invitation to Netanyahu caused a division among lawmakers, especially Democrats. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer stated in June that the Prime Minister’s address would represent “the US and Israel’s enduring relationship” and “offer the opportunity to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending their democracy.“
Several prominent progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, declared they would not attend the speech due to Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza following the October 7 attacks by Hamas, labeling him a “war criminal.“
According to a count by Axios, about 100 House Democrats and 28 Senate Democrats were present, indicating that around half of both caucuses skipped the session.
Among those who boycotted were former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee members Dick Durbin, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz.
Republican Thomas Massie also chose not to attend. He explained on X (formerly Twitter) that he didn’t want to be a “prop” for Netanyahu, arguing that the speech was an attempt to bolster the Prime Minister’s “domestic political standing in Israel and to quell international opposition to his war.”
Netanyahu stated that he aimed to “present the truth about our just war” to Congress during his first visit to Washington since the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Following a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the taking of 250 hostages, Israel launched an invasion of Gaza. The international community has heavily criticized Israel due to the rising death toll and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave. In early May, Washington put a hold on weapons deliveries to Israel amid calls to scale back the assault on Rafah, the city housing most of Gaza’s population of over two million.
Netanyahu informed US lawmakers that Israel will not cease its actions until it has dismantled Hamas’s military capabilities, ended their rule in Gaza, and secured the release of all hostages taken during the October attack, adding: “That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less.”
Gaza health authorities report that over 39,100 Palestinians have been killed and over 90,000 have been injured since the beginning of the Israeli campaign.