Ronen Zvurn/Pool/Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on December 10, 2023.
CNN
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of parliament on July 24, parliamentary leaders announced Thursday.
Netanyahu’s speech comes at a time of deteriorating relations with President Joe Biden over Israel’s war plans and efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza. Congress passed an aid bill for Ukraine and Israel in April, but Democrats remain divided over how to respond to Israel’s war against Hamas.
The top four members of Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, signed a letter on May 31 inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Israeli officials have confirmed that Prime Minister Netanyahu will address parliament on July 24.
The date of the speech was in uncertainty earlier this week when its original date of June 13 was removed because it falls on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which also coincides with President Biden’s visit to Italy for the Group of Seven summit.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
It is unclear whether the prime minister’s visit to Washington will include meetings at the White House. Netanyahu has not yet publicly supported the Israeli peace proposal put forward by Biden last week. Meanwhile, the United States has grown frustrated with some of Israel’s war tactics, which officials believe do not provide strict enough protections for civilians.
The decision to invite Netanyahu was not unanimous within the Democratic Party, where many see him as an obstacle to peace, and some lawmakers have vowed to boycott the speech.
Schumer, a New York Democrat who called for new elections in Israel earlier this year, acknowledged in a statement Thursday night that he had “clear and deep differences” with Netanyahu but defended his decision to sign the letter.
“I joined the call for him to speak because the U.S.-Israeli relationship is strong and goes beyond one person or prime minister,” he said.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Haley Talbot contributed to this report.
