Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress on Wednesday concerning the struggle in Gaza and the necessity for continued assist from the USA. Netanyahu is beneath an excessive amount of stress as he faces requires resignation at house and worldwide protests surrounding the continued struggle and its loss of life toll. The protests even manifested in Congress. At the least 38 representatives introduced that they’d boycott the Israeli prime minister’s speech, and solely round half of the Democrats in Congress attended it. Through the speech, demonstrations occurred outdoors the Capitol.
4 of New York’s Home Democrats participated within the boycott. Many of the remainder of the state’s delegation reportedly attended the speech, although a few of them had harsh phrases for Netanyahu. Listed here are New York congressional representatives’ positions on the speech.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman – DID NOT attend
Bowman has been crucial of Israel all through the struggle in Gaza, and he remained constant on this place when it got here to boycotting Netanyahu’s tackle to Congress. The consultant launched an op-ed within the Guardian on Wednesday harshly condemning the Israeli PM and calling him a “genocidal struggle prison.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – DID NOT attend
Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez are each members of the Home’s progressive caucus, they usually share views on quite a lot of points together with Israel and boycotting Netanyahu’s speech. On Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez made a press release on X referring to Netanyahu as “an authoritarian with warrant requests from the Worldwide Prison Court docket” and she or he pledged to boycott his speech.
Rep. Paul Tonko – DID NOT attend
Tonko has been crucial of the struggle in Gaza, and he has persistently known as for a ceasefire all through the struggle. On Wednesday morning, he launched a sequence of tweets explaining that he believed Netanyahu wouldn’t be discussing the right way to finish the violence throughout his tackle to Congress. Tonko stated he would boycott the speech and as a substitute spend time talking to the households of hostages, members of Congress and Israeli and Palestinian leaders pursuing a path in direction of peace.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez – DID NOT attend
Velázquez has been calling for a ceasefire because the starting of the struggle in October, and on Tuesday, she confirmed that she could be boycotting Netanyahu’s speech. In an X put up, the consultant defined her view on the struggle and described Netanyahu as “a serious impediment to reaching a everlasting ceasefire.”
Rep. Yvette Clarke – Might have attended
Clarke didn’t publicly announce any plans to boycott the speech, however she was not included on an inventory of reported attendees. She couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.
The remainder of New York’s congressional delegation attended the speech. Most didn’t remark publicly on their determination to attend the speech, however just a few criticized or praised Netanyahu.
Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer – Attended
Because the Senate majority chief, Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish authorities official, which implies individuals hearken to his opinions on Israel and the struggle. Schumer is supportive of Israel however crucial of Netanyahu. In March, Schumer famously known as for Netanyahu’s resignation and new elections in Israel. Regardless of this, the Senate majority chief was one of many 4 signatories on the Israeli PM’s invitation, and he attended the speech.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – Attended
Gillibrand has been supportive of Israel all through the struggle. She visited the nation in January with a gaggle of congressional representatives, and she or he pushed for the discharge of the hostages upon her return. After Netanyahu’s speech, the senator tweeted about 5 American hostages and their households, in addition to a hostage who was killed, and she or he reemphasized the necessity to carry the hostages house.
Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries – Attended
Jeffries has taken a cautious stance on the struggle in Gaza by each supporting Israel and affirming its proper to exist whereas additionally criticizing the loss of life toll and emphasizing the necessity for humanitarian help within the area. He has not made any public feedback about Netanyahu’s speech, however he was positive to attend it, as he was one of many 4 signatories on the bipartisan invitation despatched to Netanyahu by the minority and majority leaders of the Home and Senate.
Rep. Gregory Meeks – Attended
Meeks has been a longtime supporter of Israel. Final month, as the highest Democrat on the Home Overseas Affairs Committee, the consultant permitted an $18 billion arms bundle for Israel regardless of his considerations about how the weapons is likely to be used. Meeks confirmed that he would attend the speech in an interview with NPR on Wednesday.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler – Attended
Like Schumer, Nadler is an outspoken supporter of Israel and critic of Netanyahu on the similar time. On Tuesday, he posted a tweet condemning Netanyahu as “the worst chief in Jewish historical past because the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years in the past.” Regardless of his disdain for the Israeli PM, Nadler said that he would attend the speech, “out of respect for the state of Israel and the workplace of the Prime Minister.” In an interview with MSNBC after Netanyahu’s tackle, Nadler described the speech as “basically dishonest,” including that Netanyahu’s “political curiosity is to maintain the struggle going so long as potential.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres – Attended
Torres has been a staunch supporter of Israel because the starting of the struggle, which has created a rift between himself and the Congressional Progressive Caucus over his undaunted pro-Israel views. Following Netanyahu’s speech, Torres posted a tweet describing himself as “a proud champion of the world’s best friendship” in reference to the alliance between Israel and the U.S.
Rep. Patrick Ryan – Attended
Ryan has been crucial of Netanyahu, he has known as for a brief ceasefire and he has pushed for billions in humanitarian help to Gaza. Regardless of this, he attended Netanyahu’s speech. “I went out of deep respect for the vital alliance between the USA and Israel,” he stated in a press release to Metropolis & State.
Rep. Tom Suozzi – Attended
In a joint assertion with Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Suozzi emphasised the return of the hostages as a very powerful purpose of the struggle, and he urged Netanyahu to keep away from partisan language throughout his speech. The joint assertion outlined objectives of ending the preventing, offering humanitarian help and normalizing the connection between Israel and Saudi Arabia.