Netanyahu Faces Cold Shoulder from Washington
Several aides on Capitol Hill admitted they forgot Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting this week.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first full day in Washington this week has been met with indifference on Capitol Hill.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday afternoon, an event that would typically dominate the political landscape in Washington in the weeks leading up to it. The appearance of a controversial far-right leader, widely criticized internationally for his handling of Israel’s conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza, has the makings of a high-profile occasion.
However, Netanyahu's visit has been surprisingly low-key, with some aides from both parties needing reminders of his presence.
“I had someone ask me what I thought Netanyahu would say in his speech and I had to stop and think for a minute to realize that was this week. I had completely forgotten it was happening,” remarked a senior House aide.
The intense news cycle — which saw one U.S. presidential candidate almost killed and another drop out of the race within a week — has overshadowed Netanyahu’s visit. “He hasn’t really been able to get the traction and the airtime they would have expected,” noted another House aide.
According to a third Senate aide, Netanyahu’s visit is “barely registering” on the Hill. All aides were granted anonymity to speak candidly.
At the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu is staying, extra security measures have been put in place, including rings of fences, drones, traffic redirections, multiple checkpoints, and road closures. A POLITICO reporter observed a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters outside the hotel on Tuesday, calling for Netanyahu’s arrest.
President Joe Biden will meet with Netanyahu on Thursday, following a postponed meeting initially set for Tuesday. It remains unclear when Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with him, as she is not attending the address. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with former President Donald Trump in Florida on Friday.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers are debating whether to attend the address, while Republicans are strategizing ways to show support for Netanyahu. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s Israel policies, announced that he won’t attend the address.
“I refuse to be a political prop in this act of deception because he's not the great guardian of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Van Hollen told a group of reporters in his office after returning from the Middle East.
A group of congressional Democrats, including Van Hollen, plans to meet on Wednesday with families of Israeli hostages.
“The issue is some of us, including myself, are not going to attend the speech but want [it to be] understood that this is not about Israel, it’s not about the Israel people,” stated Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), leading the boycott effort. “Every fiber of our bodies wants to get those hostages back.”
Van Hollen expressed that he doesn’t want to show support for Netanyahu when his hardline policies and partners like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir are “sabotaging” U.S.-Israeli relations.
Netanyahu, who met with the families of hostages upon arriving in the U.S. on Monday, faces political pressure at home to secure a deal for their release and a cease-fire with Hamas.
Van Hollen shared that hostages' relatives in Israel were disappointed by Netanyahu’s prioritization choices. “While I was there, there were protests in the street saying, don’t go speak to a joint session of Congress, focus on releasing the hostages.”
Netanyahu’s schedule did not initially include meetings with key foreign policy lawmakers. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the House Foreign Affairs Committee's top Democrat, is open to a meeting, while committee chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) will be part of a group welcoming Netanyahu but noted no separate meetings are planned.
Families of American hostages in Gaza are pressuring Netanyahu to secure a cease-fire with Hamas and bring the hostages home by week's end. Failure to do so would “constitute an abject failure of his trip,” they said in a statement.
Liz Naftali, a relative of Abigail Edan, an American released during a pause in Israel-Hamas fighting, urged Netanyahu during their Monday meeting to call for a deal in his address.
“This is the time to make this deal,” she told POLITICO. “If we do not capture this moment, these hostages may not come home.”
The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a roundtable with the families on Tuesday, after which McCaul criticized Harris and congressional Democrats for planning to skip Netanyahu’s speech.
“Case in point — the committee heard from the families of American hostages still being held by Hamas terrorists this morning,” he stated. “We need to show the world our united determination to eradicate terrorism and bring home all of the hostages. I hope my colleagues will reconsider and attend this important address.”
Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO’s National Security Daily newsletter.
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday afternoon, an event that would typically dominate the political landscape in Washington in the weeks leading up to it. The appearance of a controversial far-right leader, widely criticized internationally for his handling of Israel’s conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza, has the makings of a high-profile occasion.
However, Netanyahu's visit has been surprisingly low-key, with some aides from both parties needing reminders of his presence.
“I had someone ask me what I thought Netanyahu would say in his speech and I had to stop and think for a minute to realize that was this week. I had completely forgotten it was happening,” remarked a senior House aide.
The intense news cycle — which saw one U.S. presidential candidate almost killed and another drop out of the race within a week — has overshadowed Netanyahu’s visit. “He hasn’t really been able to get the traction and the airtime they would have expected,” noted another House aide.
According to a third Senate aide, Netanyahu’s visit is “barely registering” on the Hill. All aides were granted anonymity to speak candidly.
At the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu is staying, extra security measures have been put in place, including rings of fences, drones, traffic redirections, multiple checkpoints, and road closures. A POLITICO reporter observed a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters outside the hotel on Tuesday, calling for Netanyahu’s arrest.
President Joe Biden will meet with Netanyahu on Thursday, following a postponed meeting initially set for Tuesday. It remains unclear when Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with him, as she is not attending the address. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with former President Donald Trump in Florida on Friday.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers are debating whether to attend the address, while Republicans are strategizing ways to show support for Netanyahu. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s Israel policies, announced that he won’t attend the address.
“I refuse to be a political prop in this act of deception because he's not the great guardian of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Van Hollen told a group of reporters in his office after returning from the Middle East.
A group of congressional Democrats, including Van Hollen, plans to meet on Wednesday with families of Israeli hostages.
“The issue is some of us, including myself, are not going to attend the speech but want [it to be] understood that this is not about Israel, it’s not about the Israel people,” stated Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), leading the boycott effort. “Every fiber of our bodies wants to get those hostages back.”
Van Hollen expressed that he doesn’t want to show support for Netanyahu when his hardline policies and partners like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir are “sabotaging” U.S.-Israeli relations.
Netanyahu, who met with the families of hostages upon arriving in the U.S. on Monday, faces political pressure at home to secure a deal for their release and a cease-fire with Hamas.
Van Hollen shared that hostages' relatives in Israel were disappointed by Netanyahu’s prioritization choices. “While I was there, there were protests in the street saying, don’t go speak to a joint session of Congress, focus on releasing the hostages.”
Netanyahu’s schedule did not initially include meetings with key foreign policy lawmakers. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the House Foreign Affairs Committee's top Democrat, is open to a meeting, while committee chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) will be part of a group welcoming Netanyahu but noted no separate meetings are planned.
Families of American hostages in Gaza are pressuring Netanyahu to secure a cease-fire with Hamas and bring the hostages home by week's end. Failure to do so would “constitute an abject failure of his trip,” they said in a statement.
Liz Naftali, a relative of Abigail Edan, an American released during a pause in Israel-Hamas fighting, urged Netanyahu during their Monday meeting to call for a deal in his address.
“This is the time to make this deal,” she told POLITICO. “If we do not capture this moment, these hostages may not come home.”
The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a roundtable with the families on Tuesday, after which McCaul criticized Harris and congressional Democrats for planning to skip Netanyahu’s speech.
“Case in point — the committee heard from the families of American hostages still being held by Hamas terrorists this morning,” he stated. “We need to show the world our united determination to eradicate terrorism and bring home all of the hostages. I hope my colleagues will reconsider and attend this important address.”
Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO’s National Security Daily newsletter.
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
