Lawmakers of both parties rose repeatedly to applaud the Israeli leader, while security escorted out protesters in the gallery.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address Congress on Wednesday – seeking to shore up American support for his war in Gaza .
But the Israeli leader soon pivoted to a darker tone as he derided those protesting the war on college campuses and elsewhere in the U.S., gesturing to demonstrations happening on the streets outside the Capitol. He called protesters “useful idiots” for Israel’s adversaries. She has relatives in the West Bank and represents a district in Michigan with many Palestinian Americans.
Delivering the speech during Israel’s evening prime time, Netanyahu also had an eye on the audience back home. Netanyahu, whose popularity has plummeted from its pre-war levels, aimed to portray himself as a statesman respected by Israel’s most important ally and welcomed in the corridors of Washington. That task is complicated by Americans’ increasingly divided views on Israel and the war, which has emerged as a key issue in the U.S. presidential election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson gave Netanyahu a warm welcome. More than 60 Democrats and political independent Bernie Sanders boycotted Netanyahu’s speech. The most notable absence was right behind him: The next Democrat in line, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, declined to attend, so Sen. Ben Cardin, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, served as “senator pro tempore” in place of her.
Joint Session Of Congress Boycotts Israel-Hamas War Republicans House Speaker Mike Johnson Kamala Harris Not In Attendance Prime Minister Of Israel Protests Palestinians Accused Of Genocide Hostages Accused Of War Crimes Cease-Fire Gaza
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