Democratic divisions on Israel on full display ahead of Netanyahu visit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress on Wednesday is expected to put the growing division within the Democratic Party regarding U.S. policy toward Israel on full display, while Republicans will attempt to showcase a united front.

As Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to do everything in her power to unite her party after President Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 presidential race, Netanyahu’s visit could further expose the cracks as a number of Democrats in both the House and Senate have announced they will boycott the speech or could even cause disruptions in the House Chamber.

Israel and the war in the Middle East have sparked tensions among House and Senate Democrats, where pro-Israel Democrats have found themselves at odds with pro-Palestinian members. The Israeli Prime Minister’s visit Wednesday is expected to spark protests for what organizers have called “a day of rage” over the war in Gaza. As a result, House and Senate office buildings will only be open to members, staff, and “official business visitors” for much of the day, according to guidance from the sergeants-at-arms. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is Jewish, said Netanyahu should not be welcomed to the Capitol on Wednesday. 

“On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned,” Sanders said in a statement. “In my view, his right-wing, extremist government should not receive another nickel of U.S. taxpayer support to continue the inhumane destruction of Gaza.”

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Palestinian American in Congress, will also boycott the speech Wednesday and went as far as to say Netanyahu “should be arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court.” 

“Make no mistake: this event is a celebration of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. It is a sad day for our democracy when my colleagues will smile for a photo op with a man who is actively committing genocide,” Tlaib wrote in a statement. 

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the most senior Jewish member of the House, chastised Netanyahu ahead of his address, accusing him of “meddling in domestic American politics.” However, he did not commit to boycotting the address.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress is not in service of furthering the deep ties that bind the United States and Israel together, but rather is a cynical stunt aimed at aiding his own desperate political standing at home and meddling in domestic American politics only months before a highly consequential election,” Nadler said in a statement.

Several Democrats, such as Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), No. 2 in the upper chamber, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), said they’d attend events featuring the families of hostages currently being held in Gaza instead of attending Netanyahu’s address.

“I will stand by Israel, but I will not stand and cheer for its current Prime Minister at tomorrow’s Joint Session,” Durbin said in a statement Tuesday. 

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), a Jewish member who was in Israel to celebrate a bar mitzvah when Hamas launched the attack that left hundreds dead last October, downplayed Democratic divisions on Israel and the address.

“I think what you have is a very loud, extreme minority that does not understand the history and the current situation well enough and is mischaracterizing what is going on there,” Goldman said to reporters Tuesday. “I think part of the reason, what we have seen over the last six months is a significant reduction in violence, significant reduction in violence, significant increase in humanitarian aid. And it’s crystal clear that Israel wants to end this conflict.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) warned members Tuesday that the House will be operating under a “zero-tolerance policy for disturbances in the building” and said if lawmakers disrupt Netanyahu’s joint address, it could lead to prosecution and possibly arrest.  Republicans continue to express support for Netanyahu, slamming Democrats for any criticism of the prime minister and those who have decided to boycott the address. 

“It’s disgraceful. Why should we not come and show support for our greatest ally in the Middle East while they’re at war, from terrorist organizations funded by Iran? These are the kinds of questions that they’re gonna have to answer,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) to reporters Tuesday. 

Johnson along with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the invitation to Netanyahu jointly, despite intense debate behind the scenes. Earlier this year, Schumer called on the prime minister to step down and hold new elections in a speech on the floor of the Senate. The New York senator joined the request for Netanyahu to address lawmakers, saying, “America’s relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one person or prime minister.”

There’s been a frantic scramble over who would preside over the speech, a politically fraught duty for Democrats, many of whom have been outspoken and critical of Netanyahu’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, which has unfolded into a humanitarian catastrophe. Harris declined to preside over the joint session, citing a scheduling conflict, where she will speak at the annual convention for the historically black sorority Zeta Phi Beta on Wednesday in Indianapolis. According to her aides, she has agreed to meet with Netanyahu separately later in the week.

The vice president has been one of the highest-ranking members of the Biden administration to speak out on the scale of the civilian casualties in Gaza, prompting some to believe she could take a harder stance on the war if she were to win the election this cycle. 

“As Israel defends itself, it matters how,” Harris said during a speech in December. “Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating.”

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who would normally preside as president pro tempore in Harris’s absence, has also said she will not be attending the address.

“Securing a lasting, mutual ceasefire is of the utmost importance right now, and I will continue to push for one to be reached as soon as possible,” Murray said in a statement.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has been tapped to preside, according to sources familiar. Cardin, who is Jewish, will be retiring at the end of the term. 

Netanyahu’s trip to the U.S. is the first time he’s traveled abroad since the war began, and it’s also his first since the International Criminal Court said it was seeking his arrest as a result of war crimes. The Jewish state denies this, and the U.S. does not recognize the ICC. His visit also comes as he faces complaints at home over the prolonged war and failure to bring home hostages. The Israeli prime minister will meet with Biden on Thursday and then separately with Harris. Then, he will meet with former President Donald Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday.

Ahead of his departure from Israel, Netanyahu said he wanted to talk to Biden about continuing the war, handling Iran-back groups in the region, and freeing the hostages, according to reporting from the Associated Press. In addition to the fight with Hamas in Gaza, the Jewish state is fighting with Hezbollah over its northern border. Last week, a drone strike claimed by the Houthi in Yemen killed a man in Tel Aviv. Israel launched an airstrike on a Yemeni port under the control of the Houthis.

National Security adviser Jake Sullivan last week said he does not expect Netanyahu’s speech to “look like 2015,” when the prime minister used his address to criticize former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, which angered many Democrats.

In April, Congress approved a $95 billion foreign aid package, which included $17 billion for Israel and $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza.