Benjamin Netanyahu speech draws protests to the US Capitol

Washington: Dozens of Democratic lawmakers skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress on Wednesday, expressing dismay over the thousands of civilian deaths and the humanitarian crisis from Israel's campaign in Gaza.

Thousands of demonstrators took to streets near the Capitol to protest Netanyahu's appearance amid the tightest security since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The Capitol building was surrounded by high fencing, with a heavy police presence.

Given a standing ovation on his arrival, the longtime Israeli leader delivered his speech to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives in a city preoccupied with domestic politics.

"America and Israel must stand together," Netanyahu said as he began his speech.

President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he was ending his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination to challenge Republican Donald Trump.

It was a record fourth speech by a foreign leader to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, passing British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made three.

Just before he spoke, the US Capitol police reported that some of the protests a few blocks from the building had become violent, prompting them to use pepper spray.

His remarks were expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and US response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of the Gaza war spilling over into a wider regional conflict.

He was also expected to call for stronger action against Iran, which supports Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, both militant groups fighting Israel, and has drawn increased US condemnation over its recent nuclear advances.

Republican leaders in Congress orchestrated the visit, but it was likely to be less confrontational than in 2015 when Republicans sidestepped then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and Netanyahu used his speech to criticize Obama's Iran policy.

This time, Netanyahu will seek to bolster his traditional links to Republicans but also look to ease tensions with Biden, a Democrat whose support he will rely on for the remaining six months of the president's term.

SOME LAWMAKERS STAY AWAY

Some lawmakers said they were uncomfortable about appearing to endorse Netanyahu and his hard-right coalition government as he faces declining poll numbers in Israel.

Others said they wanted Netanyahu to focus on reaching a ceasefire agreement and bringing home all of the hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7, in the deadly raid that precipitated the Israeli campaign in Gaza.

"For him, this is all about shoring up his support back home, which is one of the reasons I don't want to attend," Senator Chris Van Hollen told reporters. "I don't want to be part of a political prop in this act of deception. He is not the great guardian of the U.S.-Israel relationship."

A Republican House member, Representative Thomas Massie, also said he would not attend. "The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel and to quell int’l opposition to his war. I don’t feel like being a prop so I won’t be attending," Massie wrote on X.

Some of the most prominent Democrats skipped the speech. They included Senators Dick Durbin, the chamber's No. 2 Democrat, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz, all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Patty Murray, who chairs Senate Appropriations.

In the House, absentees were to include progressive Representatives Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Ami Bera and Joaquin Castro, senior members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Adam Smith, the top Democrat on Armed Services and Rosa DeLauro, his counterpart on the appropriations committee.

Smith said he never attends joint meetings but also described himself on Tuesday as "very, very opposed to what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing in Israel."

Harris, who normally would preside over the speech as vice president, will not be attending. Neither will Republican Senator JD Vance, Trump's vice presidential running mate.

Murray would have presided, as the senior Senate Democrat, in Harris' absence. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who leads the foreign relations committee, will replace her.

Biden and Harris will both meet Netanyahu on Thursday, and are expected to press him for progress toward a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas. Harris has at times been more forward-leaning than her boss in criticizing Israel for heavy Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.

Netanyahu was to travel to Florida to meet with Trump on Friday. The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump's presidency, during which the two forged close ties.