US House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed on Wednesday his contemplation of extending an invitation to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to address Congress, following discussions among House members during a closed-door conference session.
In response to questions from reporters regarding the potential invitation, Johnson stated, “It’s one of the things that we have in mind, and we may try to arrange for that,” CNN reported.
Johnson emphasized the significance of demonstrating solidarity and backing for Israel during its challenging times, affirming, “I think it’s very important for us to show solidarity and support for Israel right now in their time of great struggle, and we certainly stand for that position, and we’ll try to advance that in every way that we can.” He further mentioned having a substantive conversation with Netanyahu earlier in the day, reiterating House Republicans’ staunch support for Israel.
Addressing Congress is not new to Netanyahu, who previously spoke before Congress in March of 2015.
Securing an invitation to address a joint session of Congress would necessitate approval from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer, however, had recently criticized Netanyahu in a floor speech, where he also advocated for Israel to hold new elections.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Netanyahu engaged in a virtual discussion with US Republican senators, during which he reportedly conveyed Israel’s commitment to continue its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
It was reported that Netanyahu had also sought to address Senate Democrats during their caucus lunch; however, Schumer denied the request.
{Matzav.com }
