Why we must uninvite Netanyahu from addressing the U.S. Congress

The Congressional Legislative branch of the U.S. government is composed of two chambers (a bicameral system): the Senate and the House of Representatives. Usually at least once a year, the separate houses combine in what is referred to as “joint sessions” to hear the presidents’ annual State of the Union address or to count electoral votes following national presidential elections.

At other times, rarely but on occasion, the houses hold “joint meetings” to hear foreign dignitaries or other visitors other than the U.S. President.

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Such notables invited to address a congressional joint meeting have included:

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·             Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, December 26, 1941 & May 19, 1943

·             Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-In-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, October 5, 1945

·             Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands, April 3, 1952

·             George Pompidou, President of France, February 25, 1952

·             Anwar El Sadat, President of Egypt, November 5. 1975

·             Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, January 28, 1976

·             Lech Walesa, Chair of the Polish Solidarity Movement, November 15, 1989

·             Václav Havel, President of Czechoslovakia, February 21, 1990

·             Nelson Mandela, Deputy President of the African National Congress, June 26, 1990

·             Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, May 24, 2011 & May 3, 2015

·             Pope Francis, September 24, 2015

·             Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, April 3, 2019

·             Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, July 20, 2022

·             Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, December 21, 2022

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R) announced publicly that he was seriously considering inviting current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address both houses of Congress. Johnson was initially waiting to hear back from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) about whether he agreed to the Netanyahu address.

Though some of the past presenters have carried some controversy with them into the Capitol Building, a petition movement is currently underway to convince Congress to uninvite Netanyahu.

Johnson told reporters that although the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim A.A. Khan, will be applying for a warrant for the arrest of Netanyahu for war crimes, the Speaker would, nonetheless, move ahead with an invitation to Netanyahu to address a Congressional joint meeting. The Speaker added that if Schumer does not agree, he would officially invite Netanyahu to address the House of Representatives.

Both the Speaker and the Majority Leader agreed to send Netanyahu a letter of invitation on June 1, of this year extended to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.” He is scheduled to speak on July 24.

According to ICC Prosecutor Kahn, “On the basis of evidence collected and examined by my Office, I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defense of Israel, bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 8 October 2023.”

Kahn’s announcement enumerated seven specific war crimes. It also listed eight war crimes charges against leaders of Hamas.

“…Yahya Sinwar (Head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (‘Hamas’) in the Gaza Strip), Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, more commonly known as DEIF (Commander-in-Chief of the military wing of Hamas, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades), and Ismail Haniyeh (Head of Hamas Political Bureau) bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of Israel and the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 7 October 2023.” 

Months prior to the October 7, 2023 Hamas raid into southern Israel — which resulted in the killing an estimated 1,200 civilians, taking over 200 hostages, and injuring, raping, and maiming many more — citizens of Israel have demonstrated their opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right ruling coalition. Israelis have continued their demonstrations accusing the government of insufficient concern for the release and return of Israeli hostages, and for using the continuation of the war as his strategy to remain in power.

People throughout the world have joined in demonstrations against the ways Israel has conducted the war against Hamas, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians (whom Hamas used as human shields), increased famine, and the rapid spread of disease.

Communities and campuses have erupted throughout the world to hold the Israeli government accountable for the atrocities. But the ICC warrant is not the extent of Netanyahu’s legal problems.

Netanyahu was officially indicted on November 21, 2019 for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud, which resulted in him legally relinquishing his ministry portfolios outside of his prime ministerial holdings. The trial is still ongoing.

Netanyahu and his political allies, in his attempt to save himself by placing himself above the law, announced overarching plans to reshape the judiciary soon after taking office a year ago. It called for severely decreasing judges’ power, including curbing the Israeli Supreme Court’s capacity to review decisions of parliament and altering how judges are appointed.

As expected, these attempts have brought out the Israelis in massive and continual protest demonstrations. Recently, however, Israel’s Supreme Court overturned major parts of Netanyahu’s power grab plans.

So, why is the House Speaker so bent on inviting this highly contentious Prime Minister to address the U.S. Congress, and why now?

It seems no mere coincidence that Johnson announced his intention to extend an invitation to Netanyahu in March 2024 at the time Schumer called for new elections in Israel by accusing Netanyahu of being an “obstacle to peace.”

“I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said.

Several members of Congress do not want Netanyahu to address Congress, and have asked the Speaker and Majority Leader to rescind their invitation.

Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI), for example, warned that if Netanyahu comes to the U.S. Capitol, “I would be more than glad to show the ICC the way to the House floor to issue that warrant. Ditto for Hamas leader. Ceasefire. No offensive weapons. Food, water, & medicine must get through.”

Mike Johnson, the man who intends to honor a failed, multiply indicted Israeli Prime Minister who attempted to subvert the judicial system with the prestigious honor of officially addressing the U.S. Congress is the very same Speaker who commuted with Donald Trump in his motorcade from Trump Tower in New York City to the “hush money” trial of this twice-impeached, four-times indicted on 88 criminal counts and, now, once convicted of 34 counts of felony.

Johnson joined with others in Trump’s entourage, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) and Vivek Ramaswamy (R). To waiting reporters, the Speaker referred to the court proceedings as a “sham trial,” that Trump is innocent, and that the case is politically motivated.

Hmmm, that sounds very similar to what Netanyahu called his international and Israeli criminal investigations and trials. But as I’ve said in the past, Netanyahu is an Israeli version of Donald Trump but with a somewhat smarter and less transparently cunning mind.

“Non Grata,” an Israeli expat group, launched a campaign to get Benjamin Netanyahu uninvited to the U.S. Congress. You can click here to sign the petition.

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