For weeks, Democrats have been split on giving Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a platform Wednesday to address Congress. But anxieties have lessened a bit, as many expect he’ll be overshadowed by Kamala Harris’ sudden rise.
“I don't think the country is going to be following along right now, anyway, given everything that’s happening,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a progressive who won’t be attending the prime minister’s address, told POLITICO.
Harris herself is skipping the joint address, which her office attributed to priorly scheduled plans. And while Republicans are criticizing her planned absence, most Democrats aren’t concerned. Many Democrats feel as though the fault lines in their party with regards to Israel — though significant and fiercely held — are already well-established, and Netanyahu’s speech won’t affect them regardless of its content.
“I want to be able to hear what he has to say — and I'm sure that I'll find reasons to criticize some of it — and I will do that best if I'm there,” said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.). “We've kind of dealt with the issue. We have a variety of views on the issue of Israel and Palestine. I think we're pretty focused” on the fall election as a conference, he added.
Scores of rank-and-file members, including prominent progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), plan to skip the remarks, as they’ve harshly criticized Netanyahu over his handling of the conflict in Gaza that’s resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
“I think most people understand this for what it is: It's a partisan stunt,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), another lawmaker who won’t be attending. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has also approved the speech, as the leaders of both chambers have to sign off on any joint address before Congress.
“Basically, Netanyahu [is] appearing for the extreme MAGA Republican caucus, and I'm not going to be there. I'm going to do something productive,” Huffman added.
It’s not just the content of the speech itself, but many of the symbolic aspects surrounding it that have raised eyebrows. Harris will not preside over the remarks, nor will Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Miles of fencing now surround the Capitol grounds to keep the anticipated throng of protesters far away from the Capitol building.
The U.S. Capitol Police predict thousands of protesters will descend on the area for the Netanyahu address.
Meanwhile, Harris’ move to not preside over the speech — Senate Foreign Relations Chair Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) will do so instead — didn’t sit well with Republicans, and even some Democrats.
“The fact that the administration is not even willing to sit on the rostrum to support the prime minister at this time, to us, is just beyond the pale,” Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday. “How can she be expected to be viewed as a leader if she can’t fulfill this basic responsibility?”
Other Democrats, such as Reps. Jim Clyburn (S.C.), Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Jim McGovern (Mass.), Jamie Raskin (Md.) and Mark Takano (Calif.), will meet with Israeli hostage families — an effort to show their support for the Israeli people despite their fierce disagreement with Netanyahu’s government.
Johnson, Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will meet with Netanyahu before his address to Congress — a sitdown that could get awkward given Schumer’s call for new elections in the country.
