Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, as announced by top Republican leaders on Thursday night. This announcement follows weeks of speculation regarding whether the Israeli leader would be invited to speak amid Israel's ongoing conflict with Hamas. Netanyahu accepted the invitation on Saturday.

 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released a statement emphasizing the importance of this bipartisan, bicameral meeting. They stated, "The meeting symbolizes the U.S. and Israel’s enduring relationship and will offer Prime Minister Netanyahu the opportunity to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending their democracy, combatting terror, and establishing just and lasting peace in the region."

 

Notably, the announcement did not include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), both of whom had signed the invitation letter. This omission is significant as progressive Democrats have expressed strong opposition to Netanyahu's address, with some pledging to boycott the event. Schumer, while supporting the invitation, has been openly critical of Netanyahu, calling for new elections in Israel and stating that the prime minister had "lost his way."

 

Despite his disagreements with Netanyahu, Schumer reaffirmed his support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, stating, "I have clear and profound disagreements with the Prime Minister, which I have voiced both privately and publicly and will continue to do so. But because America’s relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one person or prime minister I joined the request for him to speak."

 

This will be Netanyahu's fourth address to a joint meeting of Congress, following speeches in 2015, 2011, and 1996. His upcoming address is expected to provoke significant controversy, especially among liberal Democrats who are outraged over the increasing number of humanitarian casualties in Gaza. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has been particularly vocal, labeling Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and declaring he will not attend the address.

 

The Israel-Hamas conflict remains a divisive issue within the Democratic caucus, with pro-Palestinian progressives clashing with pro-Israel members. This division was recently highlighted when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, the Israeli defense minister, and Hamas leaders, accusing them of war crimes. Pro-Israel Democrats criticized the ICC, while pro-Palestinian liberals supported the court's decisions. It is important to note that the U.S. does not recognize the ICC and considers its jurisdiction to be non-applicable to Americans.

 

The idea of inviting Netanyahu to speak was first proposed by Johnson in March, but the formal invitation process was delayed as Schumer hesitated to sign the letter. Now confirmed, Netanyahu's address is set to further highlight the complex and often contentious relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and the varied perspectives within American politics on this issue.

 

Credit: The Hill 2024-06-08

 

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4 hours ago, Social Media said:

"The meeting symbolizes the U.S. and Israel’s enduring relationship and will offer Prime Minister Netanyahu the opportunity to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending their democracy, combatting terror, and establishing just and lasting peace in the region."

 

Yes , we see his vision became reality ... and we saw what happened .

Need no more Israelies , had enough of that already ...

Everybody knows how it works ... ( Israel ) creates facts , ( Gaza ) , does not care about anything but to achieve it's goals even they amount to genocide , later find excuses for it's acts ( it is always somebody else's fault ) and thinks that the world will just swallow this BS ... If someone dares to criticize the ' antisemitism ' card is played instantly .

Well known by now .

 

Why are the REPUBLICAN's backing Israel ? The pro-Israel lobby among them is so strong ...

 

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has been particularly vocal, labeling Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and declaring he will not attend the address.

 

If Bernie would be a lot younger he would make a great POTUS ./

here is a statement he needs to read out to them

8 hours ago, Social Media said:

They stated, "The meeting symbolizes the U.S. and Israel’s enduring relationship and will offer Prime Minister Netanyahu the opportunity to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending their democracy, combatting terror, and establishing just and lasting peace in the region."

So Israel is going to have to do a complete reversal of its actions since Oct 7?

 

One can only hope that his plane develops engine trouble and he has to land in a Muslim country on his way to the US.

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

One can only hope that his plane develops engine trouble and he has to land in a Muslim country on his way to the US.

Im sure Yemen would welcome him with open arms and enjoy his "Israel's right to defend" joke.  Why burn flags and effigies when you have the real thing!

Bibi wouldn’t be coming to address Congress , if biden’s administration policies didn’t embolden Iran , Hamas .

 

So now he’s coming , how are the children gonna react in Congress (Squad members) and the Marxist that have been protesting & rioting in America for months!

7 hours ago, riclag said:

Bibi wouldn’t be coming to address Congress , if biden’s administration policies didn’t embolden Iran , Hamas .

 

So now he’s coming , how are the children gonna react in Congress (Squad members) and the Marxist that have been protesting & rioting in America for months!

Bibi speech should include mentioning the 4 hostages that were saved and direct it to the Squad members who are opposed to Israel!

 

🇮🇱 

A CIA assessment circulated among US officials this week concluded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely judges he can get away without defining a post-war plan — even as the Biden administration has launched a full-court press to pressure him to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.

Netanyahu “probably believes he can maintain support from his security chiefs and prevent defections” from the right wing of his coalition by discussing the future of Gaza in “vague terms,” the June 3 report, reviewed by CNN, reads.

The assessment — which has not been previously reported — represents one of the most up to date intelligence assessments about Netanyahu’s mindset that has been circulated among senior US officials, according to a source familiar with internal reporting.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/07/politics/cia-netanyahu-assessment/index.html

2 hours ago, Jeff the Chef said:

A CIA assessment circulated among US officials this week concluded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely judges he can get away without defining a post-war plan — even as the Biden administration has launched a full-court press to pressure him to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.

Netanyahu “probably believes he can maintain support from his security chiefs and prevent defections” from the right wing of his coalition by discussing the future of Gaza in “vague terms,” the June 3 report, reviewed by CNN, reads.

The assessment — which has not been previously reported — represents one of the most up to date intelligence assessments about Netanyahu’s mindset that has been circulated among senior US officials, according to a source familiar with internal reporting.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/07/politics/cia-netanyahu-assessment/index.html

 

   Its going to take 40-50 years to rebuild Gaza .

Gaza will remain as rubble this generation 

It will be interesting to see what would happen if his plane landed in a European country. Would he be arrested and sent to the ICJ?  😂

14 hours ago, rickudon said:

It will be interesting to see what would happen if his plane landed in a European country. Would he be arrested and sent to the ICJ?  😂

 

The ICJ, (International Court of Justice) deals with States and is currently dealing with the South African plus others case against Israel.

It is the ICC (International Criminal Court) in The Hague, Netherlands is the Court where possibly Hamas/Netanyahu and Co could be tried.

Edited June 9, 20242 yr by Jeff the Chef
spelling

On 6/8/2024 at 1:11 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

One can only hope that his plane develops engine trouble and he has to land in a Muslim country on his way to the US.

 

Yes, because a live streamed beheading of Netanyahu is sure to ease tensions. 

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

 

Yes, because a live streamed beheading of Netanyahu is sure to ease tensions. 

No one else mentioned beheading. Hand him over to the ICC for trial would be good though.

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

No one else mentioned beheading. Hand him over to the ICC for trial would be good though.

 

Yes, that would be sure to happen. 😆