Netanyahu will look to bolster US support for Israel in his fourth Congress speech

Demonstrators are planning massive protests ahead of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu`s Congress speech in Washington. Pic/AFP

Ahead of his speech in the US Congress, Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu will hope to bolster Washington's support for Israel's fight against Hamas and other adversaries, even as the Biden administration is urging him to focus on closing a deal to put an end to the devastating nine-month war in Gaza that have claimed the lives of around 40,000 Palestinians.

Netanyahu has been assured a warm welcome from Republican lawmakers who have arranged his speech in the House chamber.

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The Israeli PM would become the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of the Congress for the fourth time, surpassing late British PM Winston Churchill.

Vice President Kamala Harris is unlikely to attend the address as she has a trip scheduled. However, Netanyahu is set to meet Biden and Harris on Thursday, and former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.

Republicans have slammed Harris, the new Democratic front-runner for the presidency, as a sign of "disloyalty" to an ally. Interestingly, Donald Trump's running-mate, JD Vance, said that he, too, would not be attending the Israeli leader's speech as he will be busy campaigning for the upcoming election.

Meanwhile, many Democrats and independents are planning to boycott the Israeli PM's appearance. There are also concerns over massive protests being planned outside the Capitol against Palestinian deaths as well as Netanyahu's inability to free Israeli and American hostages who have been abducted by Hamas.

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned of a zero-tolerance policy against any disturbance in the Capitol building. "It is our tradition to acknowledge every guest speaker's right to free expression even if we disagree with their viewpoint," the Louisiana Republican wrote to members on Tuesday.

Johnson arranged the address and said it is an "honour that marks both the countries' historically warm bonds". However, the focus on the visit has been diminished owing to the recent turmoil in American politics, including the assassination attempt against Trump and President Joe Biden's decision not to seek re-election.

Netanyahu hopes to project the image of a tough, respected statesman for an increasingly critical audience back home in Israel. That may be difficult given the wide division among Americans over Israel's ongoing war.

Many Democrats who support Israel but have been critical of Netanyahu see the address as a Republican effort to cast itself as the party most loyal to Israel and to provide the PM with a much-needed political reprieve.

"I don't know all the motivations for Speaker Johnson initiating the invitation but he wanted to throw a political lifeline to Netanyahu whose popularity is quite low in Israel right now," Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is among the dozens of Democrats set to boycott the address, said on Tuesday.

The United States is Israel's most important ally, arms supplier, and source of military aid. Israel is amid an intense battle to break Hamas after the group attacked Israelis on October 7, 2023.

Netanyahu's visit to the US is his first abroad since the war started, and comes under the shadow of the arrest warrants sought against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged Israel war crimes against Palestinians. However, the US does not recognise ICC.

During his visit, Netanyahu plans to press for freeing the hostages, build support for continuing Israel's battle against Hamas, and argue for continuing to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iranian-allied groups in the region. The US, France, and others are seeking to calm border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, fearing a larger war.

Netanyahu might also address a new China-brokered deal between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to form a government together. The agreement was an attempt to resolve a rivalry that could make it even harder for Palestinians to secure a role governing Gaza whenever the war ends. Israel immediately denounced the pact, and State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said a terror group (Hamas) should have no role in governing Palestinians.

Some Democrats are wary about Netanyahu, who used a 2015 joint address to Congress to denounce then-President Barack Obama's pending nuclear deal with Iran. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said he does not expect Wednesday's speech to be a repeat of 2015's.

(With AP inputs)