Lots Of Democrats Are Boycotting Netanyahu's Address To Congress

WASHINGTON — When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Congress on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris won’t be there . Neither will Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the Senate pro tem, who is third in line to the presidency.

The main reason Netanyahu is visiting the U.S. this week is to give this speech, which he was invited to deliver by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). But so far, at least 21 Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott his remarks in protest of the conservative Israeli leader’s military campaign in Gaza.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has created a humanitarian catastrophe,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told CNN last month. “I’m not going.”

“No, Netanyahu should not be welcomed into the U.S. Congress,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Monday on social media . “On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned.”

“As I stated last month, I will not be attending his address,” Sanders added.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Israel’s air and ground assault has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza, most of whom are civilians, Palestinian health authorities reported this month . Netanyahu, meanwhile, has rebuffed repeated calls for a ceasefire.

Democrats have been pressing President Joe Biden to reevaluate U.S. support for Israel as the humanitarian crisis drags on in Gaza, where <a href=«https://and» driven most of the enclave million people from their homes. target="_blank" class=" js-entry-link cet-internal-link" data-vars-subunit-name=«article_body» data-vars-subunit-type=«component» data-vars-position-in-subunit=«4»>more than 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes. In recent months, the