Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday afternoon, hoping to bolster support for Israel’s 10-month war against Hamas in Gaza.
He is scheduled to address lawmakers at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
Netanyahu will be the first world leader to address a joint Congress four times. His last appearance before both houses was in 2015, when he sought to convince lawmakers to torpedo negotiations between the Obama administration and Iran over the regime’s nuclear program.
His speech comes at a time of unusual upheaval in American politics. Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13, days before he officially became the Republican presidential nominee. President Biden ended his re-election campaign Sunday after his party lost confidence in the 81-year-old candidate’s ability to beat Trump in a November rematch following a disastrous debate performance.
“In this time of war and uncertainty, it is important that Israel’s enemies know that America and Israel stand together today, tomorrow and always,” Netanyahu said. said in a statement before arriving in the United States on Monday.
How to watch Netanyahu’s speech to Congress
- What:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a joint meeting of Congress
- Date: Wednesday July 24
- Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time
- Location: United States Capitol
- Online broadcast: Live on CBS News in the player above and on your mobile device or streaming.
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change
Congressional leaders guest Netanyahu in May – a show of bipartisan unity amid deep political divisions over the war across the US Republicans have been unequivocal in their support for Netanyahu, while Democrats have been divided over the need to provide more support to the longtime US ally.
In addition to harsh criticism of Netanyahu’s government over the high Palestinian death toll, the prime minister is facing growing domestic and international pressure to strike a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a pause in the fighting. His critics have accused him of prolonging the war for political reasons, something he denies.
U.S. Capitol Police said they expected large-scale protests during Netanyahu’s visit and the agency increased security around the Capitol.
Some Democrats plan to boycott the speech and have accused Republicans of orchestrating the visit for partisan purposes.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential candidateThe senator who usually chairs joint meetings of Congress will be out of town. Next in line to fill Harris’ seat behind Netanyahu is Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat and the Senate president pro tempore. But Murray is among the lawmakers who will not speak. Instead, Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, will chair the joint meeting.
Mr. Netanyahu will meet Mr. Biden on Thursday afternoon at the White House, according to the prime minister’s office. Mr. Biden returned to Washington on Tuesday after spending nearly a week in isolation at his Delaware beach house, where he was recovering from Covid-19.
Harris is also expected to meet with Netanyahu during her stay in Washington, according to a White House official.
Trump had initially announced he would meet Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday, but later said the meeting had been postponed until Friday at the prime minister’s request.
Kristin Brown, Cristina Corujo, Alan He and Nikole Killion contributed reporting.
