Netanyahu to address US Congress: What we know so far

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington. His main agenda for the trip: a speech to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday, 24 July.

However, Netanyahu’s visit comes amid significant upheaval in US politics as well, with the ongoing campaigns and conventions ahead of the presidential elections, as well as growing criticism from American leaders with his handling of the Israel–Hamas conflict.

Given the death toll in the IDF's ongoing nine-month war on Gaza specifically and Occupied Palestine in general, Netanyahu’s first trip to Washington since the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 is definitely a trigger for intense debate and protest.

US prime minister Joe Biden and Netanyahu are expected to meet personally on Thursday, 25 July, and vice-president (and de facto Democratic nominee) Kamala Harris will also meet with the Israeli PM separately that day, reports AP news.

Donald Trump, former president and current Republican candidate, has also agreed to meet with the Israeli leader on Friday, 26 July, announcing it on Truth Social to promote his 'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH Agenda'.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Biden aims to focus on negotiating a hostage release and a ceasefire deal. The talks are to include other parties besides Israel and the United States, said the AP report.

In his invitation, House of Congress speaker Mike Johnson said that Netanyahu was being offered a platform to share his “government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region”, according to a Mint report.

On Monday, 22 July, President Biden had said he believed the different parties were on the “verge of being able to” secure a deal to bring home the hostages and end the conflict, per CNN.

How controversial is this visit with Americans?

The ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict has deeply divided the American public's opinion.

On the one hand are those that believe Israel, as the promised homeland of the Jews, has a right to exist and to grow. Standing alongside them are those who believe taking hostages or resorting to militancy against civilians is always unacceptable—unless first attacked with violence (as Israel was), in which case the right to self-defence can be invoked.

On the other hand are those who argue that Israel's long and continuing history violence against Palestinians — and not simply against militants — reveals a pattern of Zionist settler-colonialism, and that the present conflict must be seen in that context.

Many on this second side argue that the Zionist project in Israel is inherently racist as well, and that this racism underpins and undermines the argument of hostage-taking and militancy being unacceptable — seeing as Israel practises both under a different name than jihad.

They also point to the violations of human rights and international law in targetting children, places of education and hospitals, the cutting off of international aid and the response to all criticism of Israel with accusations of anti-Semitism (even when it comes from fellow Jews or even fellow Israelis), where anti-Semite equates to anti-Jew and not the Semitic races in general.

The world could hardly ignore the protests and arrests across various US college and university campuses throughout the conflict, especially over what is seen as the support or inaction from President Biden's government to the humanitarian crisis that has been precipitated in Gaza by Israel's operations there. There have been parallel protests worldwide in solidarity with Palestine and Palestinians, especially those in Gaza, across international campuses

Additionally, the International Criminal Court's focus on Israel and Netanyahu's war on Gaza—and whether it amounts to genocide—adds to the debate in that it implicates the US in hosting and supporting him.

This is also Netanyahu's first trip abroad since the ICJ announced it was seeking his arrest over alleged war crimes related to Israel's offensive in Gaza. While the US does not recognise the ICC and is thus not obliged to act against Netanyahu, the global allegations have fuelled criticism of US foreign policy at home.

Multiple protests are scheduled outside the Capitol on these dates, then. For the most part, the demonstrations are against the actions of the Israeli military, as per AP news, though we should hardly be surprised to see protests against the US involvement in the situation in West Asia and its support of Israel with arms and funds.

Security for Netanyahu’s visit is naturally high, with fencing erected around entry points to Capitol Hill, and both Capitol Police and the Secret Service delivering increased presence.