Lawmakers in Washington are making headlines as they choose to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. The decision comes shortly after the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestine illegal and constituting apartheid. Additionally, it follows a nine-month period during which Israel has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza. The officials who will not attend the speech come from various political backgrounds, including Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the Squad. Many of these lawmakers, such as Senator Dick Durbin, have focused on Netanyahu himself as a war criminal or violator of international law rather than addressing the systemic abuses committed by the Israeli state against the Palestinian people.
Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian in Congress, has been particularly outspoken about her boycott. In a statement, she referred to Netanyahu as a war criminal committing genocide against the Palestinian people. Tlaib expressed her disappointment in leaders from both parties for inviting him to address Congress and suggested that he should be arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court.
Other lawmakers, including Representatives Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have echoed Tlaib’s opposition. Representative Ilhan Omar announced that she would not attend the speech and gave her tickets to the family member of an Israeli hostage. Even former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi criticized the invitation extended to Netanyahu.
Representative Jerry Nadler went further in his criticism, stating that Netanyahu is the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago. Nadler expressed concern about the prime minister’s actions jeopardizing the security of Israel, the lives of hostages, the stability of the region, and Israeli democratic norms. However, Nadler’s statement, along with many others, failed to address Israeli state violence against Palestinians.
This is not the first time that Netanyahu’s visit to Congress has faced opposition. In 2015, nearly 60 Democrats boycotted his speech, viewing it as an attack on President Barack Obama’s efforts to finalize negotiations regarding the Iran nuclear deal. Today, Netanyahu faces the possibility of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court and leads a government that was ordered by the ICJ to stop any act of genocide in Gaza.
Numerous reputable bodies, including international courts, human rights organizations, and the United Nations, have repeatedly found the Israeli government guilty of human rights violations. Even the Biden administration, while supporting Israel’s war on Gaza, has acknowledged that Israel has killed civilians and likely violated international law using U.S. weapons. As Tlaib highlighted in her statement, the U.S. has provided over $141 billion in weapons to Israel since 1948, funding the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
While some members of Congress may not prioritize these issues, protesters from across the country have gathered in Washington to voice their opposition. Activists describe Netanyahu as a symptom of Israeli politics rather than the problem itself. U.S. veterans group Common Dreams and Israeli veterans from Breaking the Silence have joined forces to urge Congress to support a ceasefire and condition future military aid to Israel on its respect for international law and Palestinian human rights. They also called for the restoration of U.S. funding for UNRWA, a United Nations agency that aids Palestinians.
The protest at the Capitol included hundreds of Jewish people, including rabbis and rabbinical students, demanding a ceasefire and arms embargo on Israel. However, Republican Representative Mike Lawler dismissed the demonstrators as “pro-Hamas,” despite the presence of rabbis among them. Lawler questioned their Jewish identity and compared believing them to believing the death toll recorded by the Gaza Ministry of Health, which has faced attacks by actors claiming it is an arm of the Hamas government.
Protesters emphasized that their Jewish background motivated their participation in the demonstration. Tal Friedan, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, expressed their commitment to the principle of “never again” meaning “never again for anyone.” Jay Saper, who had family members killed at Auschwitz, honored their memories by urging Congress and the president to stop arming Israel during its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. These individuals find inspiration in their Jewish tradition, which drives them to take action for justice.
