Speaker Johnson says he plans to invite Netanyahu to address the US Congress

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson says he plans to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress, a display of improve from Republicans amid rising Democratic grievance of Netanyahu’s management.

“I would love to have him come in and address a joint session of Congress,” Johnson mentioned Thursday morning on CNBC. “We’ll certainly extend that invitation.”

Johnson mentioned it might be “a great honor of mine” to invite the Israeli leaderbut “we’re just trying to work out schedules on all this.”

Republicans have rallied round Netanyahu since Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., referred to as for new elections in Israel on the Senate ground final week. Schumer, who’s Jewish and a powerful supporter of Israel, mentioned he believes that the high minister has “lost his way” and is a disadvantage to peace in the area amid the rising humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

A U.S. speech via Netanyahu throughout the brutal conflict with Hamas might be noticed in the U.S. as extremely politicized and could be met with grievance from many Democrats, particularly as many on the left flank had been sharply important of his techniques in the conflict.

Netanyahu gave the impression earlier than a joint assembly of Congress in 2015 at the invitation of then-Republican speaker John Boehner throughout delicate U.S. talks about Iran’s nuclear program, a transfer that Democrats criticized as partisan as a result of President Barack Obama’s White House used to be no longer to begin with consulted.

In a remark, Schumer mentioned he would welcome an address via Netanyahu.

“Israel has no stronger ally than the United States and our relationship transcends any one president or any one prime minister,” he said. “I will always welcome the opportunity for the prime minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way.”

Johnson mentioned Wednesday that he had had a long dialog with the high minister and had “reiterated to him the House Republicans’ strong support for Israel in their efforts there.”

Netanyahu additionally spoke via video with Senate Republicans at their weekly caucus lunch on Wednesday, telling them in the closed-door assembly that he believes he nonetheless has improve in the United States and Israel and that he believes Schumer’s remarks had been beside the point.

“We made it clear to the prime minister that in our judgment, the American people overwhelmingly support Israel’s war, that we understand the need to prosecute the war,” Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy mentioned after the video name. “Without conquering Hamas, we cannot have peace.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell mentioned that Netanyahu had referred to as him final week and mentioned he sought after to address the GOP convention. “Bipartisan support for Israel seems to be cracking on the political left in this country,” mentioned McConnell, who has been sharply important of Schumer’s remarks.

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, escalated the criticism previous this week when he mentioned that “any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion.”

Schumer, the first Jewish majority chief in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish respectable in the U.S., strongly criticized Netanyahu in his 40-minute speech, pronouncing that the high minister has put himself in a coalition of far-right extremists and “as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.”

He warned that the nation may develop into a global pariah amid sustained bombardment of Gaza and that the conflict may move on ceaselessly.

“As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may,” Schumer mentioned. “But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice.”

Netanyahu had additionally requested to address Democratic senators one by one, however Schumer rejected the request, arguing that such conferences will have to be bipartisan.

After Netanyahu’s remarks to the Republicans, Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who may be Jewish, praised Schumer’s speech and mentioned that the majority chief “appears to have shaken up the prime minister.”

“I think he’s nervous,” Schatz mentioned. “I have been here 12 years and I have never seen a prime minister talk to one party or the other.”

The Democratic Party has been increasingly more cut up on the conflict and President Joe Biden has stepped up public pressure on Netanyahu’s executive, arguing that he wishes to pay extra consideration to the civilian demise toll in Gaza.

Biden mentioned final week that Schumer “made a good speech” and expressed considerations shared via many Americans. But he didn’t repeat Schumer’s attraction for Israel to cling elections.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this document.