Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress for a record 4th time
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to address a joint session of U.S. Congress and will become the world leader who has done so most in United States history.
Netanyahu's office confirmed his plans to address Congress in a statement, though a specific date has yet to be decided.
This will mark the fourth time that Netanyahu will address Congress, the most of any world leader in United States history. Netanyahu is tied with former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at three times.
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"I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world," stated Netanyahu.
The invitation to speak came courtesy a bipartisan letter sent last week and signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The speech comes as Israeli forces continue their offensive in the Gaza Strip, seeking to eradicate Hamas, a terror group that has controlled Gaza since 2007, and free the surviving hostages taken by the Palestinian extremist group in its Oct. 7 attack that killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators across the globe, including on several U.S. college campuses, have launched protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has claimed that over 35,000 people have died since the war began but doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants.
"We join the State of Israel in your struggle against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders jeopardize regional security," stated the letter.
"The existential challenges we face, including the growing partnership between Iran, Russia, and China, threaten the security, peace, and prosperity of our countries and of free people around the world."
The congressional leaders encouraged Netanyahu to "share the Israeli government's vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region."
In March, Schumer, a Jewish American, made international headlines when he called for Israel to hold new elections, accusing Netanyahu of losing "his way” amid the war with Hamas.
Netanyahu last spoke before Congress in 2015 at the invitation of then-Republican House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio. He discussed concerns about Iran reaching a nuclear deal with the U.S.
"We have been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well, this is a bad deal. It is a very bad deal. We are better off without it," Netanyahu told Congress during his 2015 remarks.
"We are being told that the only alternative to this bad deal is war. That is just not true. The alternative to this bad deal is a much better deal," Netanyahu added.
Republicans organized the 2015 speech without the prior knowledge of then-President Barack Obama, leading many Democratic members of Congress to boycott the speech in protest.
