Israel’s Netanyahu makes divisive appearance in Congress – National & International News – WED 24Jul2024

Netanyahu makes divisive appearance in Congress while Harris signals new path on Israel support.

Israel’s Netanyahu makes divisive appearance in Congress

Months ago, Congressional leaders of both parties invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress in a joint session. As time went by however, an increasing number of elected Democrats, including some in leadership, have sought to distance themselves from Netanyahu. In recent days, many have come forward with statements critical of Netanyahu and the decision to allow him to speak before Congress.

Today, about half of the Democrats in both chambers did not attend Netanyahu’s speech. Notably, this included former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has long been a staunch supporter of Israel. In a statement on Twitter following Netanyahu’s speech, Pelosi said it was “by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States”. Instead of attending the speech, she said she met with the families of Israelis still held captive in Gaza. She also implied that Netanyahu was not doing enough to reach a ceasefire deal that would bring the rest of the hostages home.

Netanyahu’s speech also drew tens of thousands of protesters to Washington, including pro-ceasefire Jewish groups, Arab- and Muslim-American groups, students and progressive organizations. There was also strong representation from labor unions. Yesterday, seven major unions – including United Auto Workers and Service Employees International Union – sent an open letter to President Biden calling on him to “immediately halt all military aid to Israel”.

Harris signals new path on Israel support

Vice President Kamala Harris, now the new presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, has attempted to set herself apart from President Biden in terms of her stance on Israel, though she hasn’t so far made her position explicitly clear. She did not attend Netanyahu’s speech today, claiming a scheduling conflict. However, she will meet with Netanyahu privately at the White House.

There are reports that Harris is planning on dropping key members of Biden’s Cabinet if she ultimately wins the Presidency. Specifically, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Each of these men have been instrumental in implementing Biden’s policy of giving Israel seemingly unlimited military support and political cover throughout the 9 month military assault on Gaza. 

Distancing herself from Biden on this would be a smart political move for Harris. Arab and Muslim-American voters in key swing states have campaigned to “Abandon Biden” for failing to enforce any red lines on Israel’s conduct. However, President Trump’s Israel policy is even worse from their perspective. By giving these voters a clear choice, Harris could drastically improve her chances in November, particularly in Michigan which is a must-win state for Democrats.

Netanyahu stumps for Trump

During his speech today, Netanyahu expressed thanks for Biden’s support, but he was far more effusive in his praise of Trump. Netanyahu and other Israel hardliners have made no secret of the fact they would prefer that Trump win in November. Trump will be hosting Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this week. 

Fears are also growing over Netanyahu’s plans to expand his war to other fronts, including Lebanon and Yemen. He spoke openly of this aspiration in today’s speech and sought more American military support. While Israel has a well-equipped military, Israel could not realistically prevail in a multi-front war without significantly more American support.

Apart from the inherent dangers of a wider regional conflict, an expanded war could also further endanger Democrats’ electoral prospects. It would be especially damaging if Biden continues supporting Netanyahu’s military adventures- or worse, gets American troops directly involved. Netanyahu has clearly factored all of this into his political calculus.

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