Netanyahu seeks support for war in Gaza with speech to Congress but sparks protests and boycotts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aims to bolster U.S. support for his country’s fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups in a speech to Congress Wednesday even as many Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott it and protesters amassed around the Capitol to condemn the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it has created.

Netanyahu also wants to portray himself as a respected statesman for an increasingly critical audience back in Israel, but that task is complicated by Americans’ divided views on Israel and the war, which has emerged as a key issue in the U.S. presidential election.

Tall steel barriers ringed the Capitol Wednesday, and security officers were deployed on foot, bicycle and with dogs. Thousands of protesters rallied near the Capitol ahead of the Netanyahu’s speech, denouncing him as a “war criminal” and calling for a cease-fire. Police tussled with demonstrators seeking to block the prime minister’s route.

Netanyahu is assured a warm welcome from Republican lawmakers who arranged his speech in the House chamber. The appearance will make him the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill.

Some leading Democrats and political independent Bernie Sanders plan to boycott Netanyahu’s speech. But the most notable absence will be right behind him: Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as president of the Senate, said a long-scheduled trip will keep her away.

The next Democrat in line, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, is declining to attend, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would be meeting with families of Israeli victims of Hamas instead.

Republicans said the absence of Harris, the new Democratic front-runner for the presidency, was a sign of disloyalty to an ally. Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, said he would also be a no-show for Netanyahu’s speech, citing the need to campaign.

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden and Harris on Thursday, and with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.

M any in the swelling crowd of demonstrators outside the Capitol were protesting the killings of more than 39,000 Palestinians in the war. Others condemned Netanyahu’s inability to free Israeli and American hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned of a “zero-tolerance policy” for any signs of disturbances in the Capitol building.

Johnson arranged the address, an honor that marks both countries’ historically warm bonds and the political weight that support for Israel has long carried in U.S. politics. But the attention for the visit has been diminished some by recent political turmoil, including the assassination attempt against Trump and Biden’s decision not to seek another term.

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.

“I don’t know all the motivations for Speaker Johnson initiating the invitation but clearly he wanted to throw a political lifeline to Netanyahu, whose popularity is very low in Israel right now,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who also plans to boycott the speech, said Tuesday.

Many Democrats plan to attend the address despite their criticism of Netanyahu, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for new elections in Israel in a March floor speech. Schumer, of New York, said then that Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The United States is Israel’s most important ally, arms supplier and source of military aid. Netanyahu’s visit is his first abroad since the war started, and comes under the shadow of arrest warrants sought against him by the International Criminal Court over alleged Israel war crimes against Palestinians. The United States does not recognize the ICC.

The Biden administration says it wants to see Netanyahu focus his visit on helping it complete a deal for a cease-fire and hostage-release. Growing numbers of Israelis accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war in order to avoid a likely fall from power whenever the conflict ends.

Netanyahu says his aims for the U.S. visit are to press for freeing hostages held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza, to build support for continuing Israel’s battle against the group, and to argue for continuing to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iranian-allied groups in the region. The U.S., France and others are seeking to calm border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, fearing a larger war.

Netanyahu in his speech also may 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 called Hamas a terror group that 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.

Netanyahu used an appearance early Wednesday to focus on Iran, its nuclear program and its network of armed allies. Iran is “behind the entire axis of terror” that threatens the U.S. and Israel, he said, speaking at a memorial for former Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that Iran’s nuclear program — which it says is for civilian purposes — was now one to two weeks away from having enough enriched fuel for a nuclear bomb. Blinken said there was no sign Iran had decided to take the final steps to build a bomb.

Speaking at a security conference in Colorado, Blinken blamed the Trump administration for pulling out of a deal aimed at containing Iran’s nuclear program.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu.