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Democrats in Disarray Over Boycotting Netanyahu's Speech

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  June 19, 2024 11:45 AM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address Congress on July 24. The bipartisan invitation was signed on not just by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), but also by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). From the start, though, there were Democrats who made clear they would boycott the speech, and more names kept coming in. 

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) expressed earlier this month that "it's very sad" and "wrong" to invite Netanyahu. On Sunday, The Hill put out a headline mentioning how this "prompts quiet backlash from Democrats." Even if Democrats would prefer to not advertise their infighting, that Democrats are in disarray over the issue of supporting our ally in the Middle East is rather well-known, and has been an issue Republicans have been and absolutely should be taking advantage of. 

Axios has reported on a growing list of Democrats looking to boycott the speech and even hold counter-programming events, reminding how close to 60 anti-Israel members boycotted Netanyahu's past addresses. 

On Sunday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) shared with NBC News' "Meet the Press" that he would not attend Netanyahu's speech, noting "I'm not going to sit in a one-way lecture." Khanna also lamented "how [Netanyahu] treated President Obama, though he left out the role the Obama administration played in trying to oust Netanyahu. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has also spoken out against Netanyahu and Israel, shared with CNN's Manu Raju that she would not attend.

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Warren also brought up a favorite talking point of Democrats, which is to demand a two-state solution, with a focus on further blaming Netanyahu. "Prime Minister Netanyahu has created a humanitarian catastrophe. He has also made clear that he does not support U.S. policy for a two-state solution that will let the people of Israel and the Palestinians develop their own nation self-determination and live with dignity," she shared. 

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), a high-profile member who served as majority whip for the last Congress, announced he would participate in the boycott, prompting praise from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The head of CAIR praised Hamas terrorists for carrying out their October 7 attack against Israel not long afterward. 

Republicans, meanwhile, including Johnson and McConnell, are committed to staying united in hearing what Netanyahu has to say next month. 

Fox News also published an article last week of House Republicans calling out Democrats for their boycott, with plenty of points about Democrats being "extremists." Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) had a particularly spicy take when he said those who would boycott amounted to "apologists for terrorism," and that "their refusal to stand with our closest ally in the Middle East emboldens murderers and extremists who seek to destroy democracy and freedom worldwide."

As the report also mentioned:

The issue of Israel and its war on Hamas has had an unprecedented unifying effect on what’s been a House GOP Conference marked by public division for much of this congressional term. 

On the flip side, it has also served to bring long-simmering Democratic fractures between the old and new left to the surface, prompting spats on social media and elsewhere between progressives and pro-Israel Democrats.

The increasingly anti-Israel Biden administration has also been at odds with Netanyahu, especially when it comes to the prime minister pressing Secretary of State Antony Blinken on weapons. He even had a video message that was shared over X. Members of the Squad are already boycotting the speech, and this message from Netanyahu has made them even more apoplectic. The Hill also reported earlier on Wednesday that "White House, Netanyahu clash over claims of withheld weapons."