Before we start, a reminder: when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last spoke before a joint session of Congress, in March 2015, it was followed by Trump’s presidential victory in November 2016. So, omens matter.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) on Thursday told CNBC he will invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, for the second time in nine years.
Johnson said on CNBC’s Squawk Box, “I would love to have him come in and address a joint session of Congress. We’ll certainly extend that invitation. We’re just trying to work out schedules on all this.”
This made many Democrats uneasy, to be polite, because some of them were well aware that if they boycott the PM’s speech it could impact their reelection chances in November.
So, the Speaker’s gesture is more than a friendly invite, it’s an election-year strategic move.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md) is one of the traditionally pro-Israel Democrats made deeply disturbed by the threatened visit. Hoyer told Politico on Thursday, “I would hope he would not come. I think it would not be helpful for Israel’s interests.”
Maybe. But after five months during which the Biden administration has turned from Israel’s big brother, hugs and kisses and all, into a predatory supporter of Hamas, it may be time for the PM to speak softly and carry a big stick.
The Congresswoman from Mogadishu, Somalia, Ilhan Omar, called Johnson’s invitation “heartless and disgusting.” She added, “It’s a disaster. It goes against our values. It goes against the values of humanity. It goes against everything we should hold dear.”
But Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) told Politico, “I’m never going to say a leader of a democratic country shouldn’t come.” And Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said, “I hope whatever he does now or any Israeli official does, it is done with the intent of strengthening that bipartisan support for Israel and the US-Israel relationship.”
Don’t we all?
SURPRISE: SCHUMER AGREES
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) refused Netanyahu’s request for a Zoom session with Senate Democrats.
On Wednesday this week, Netanyahu had a Zoom meeting with Republican senators.
That may explain why on Thursday, Schumer told MSNBC, “Israel has no stronger ally than the United States and our relationship transcends any one president or any one Prime Minister. I will always welcome the opportunity for the Prime Minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way.”
To remind you, only last week, Schumer declared on the Senate floor that he believes “Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.”
Schumer continued: “As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7th. The world has changed radically since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past. Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, to preserve Israel’s credibility on the world stage, and to work towards a two-state solution.
“At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.”
Speaker Johnson reacted at the time, calling Schumer’s attack “almost staggering, just unbelievable.” He added, “To suggest to our strongest ally in the Middle East, the only stable democracy, that he knows better how to run their democracy, is just patently absurd.”
The White House is yet to respond to the invite, which the Speaker extended without consulting them or Senator Schumer.
President Biden may yet discover that bullying your best friends has its consequences.
