Many Democrats are boycotting Netanyahu’s address to Congress

“Photo: I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu: Before you come to speak to members of Congress, go meet with the families I saw whose loved ones were murdered on Oct. 7,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) fumed ahead of Netanyahu’s address to Congress. TOM WILLIAMS VIA GETTY IMAGES

At least 21 lawmakers are skipping the Israeli leader’s speech in protest of his military campaign in Gaza g . VP Kamala Harris and JD Vance won’t be there, either.

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Congress on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris won’t be there. Neither will Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the Senate pro tem, who is third in line to the presidency.

The main reason Netanyahu is visiting the U.S. this week is to give this speech, which he was invited to deliver by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). But so far, at least 21 Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott his remarks in protest of the conservative Israeli leader’s military campaign in Gaza and the number is growing

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has created a humanitarian catastrophe,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told CNN last month. “I’m not going.”

“No, Netanyahu should not be welcomed into the U.S. Congress,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Monday on social media. “On the contrary, his policies in Gaza and the West Bank and his refusal to support a two-state solution should be roundly condemned.”

“As I stated last month, I will not be attending his address,” Sanders added.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Israel’s air and ground assault has killed more than 39,000 people in Gaza, most of whom are women and children , Palestinian health authorities reported this month. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has rebuffed repeated calls for a ceasefire.

Democrats have been pressing President Joe Biden to reevaluate U.S. support for Israel as the humanitarian crisis drags on in Gaza, where more than 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes. In recent months, the president has been more critical of Netanyahu, and in May, the administration paused the shipment of some weapons. But Netanyahu has brushed aside calls from Biden administration officials to change course.

When Netanyahu speaks in the House chamber on Thursday, the vice president would normally be sitting behind him at the dais. But Harris will be in Indianapolis at a campaign event. Her event was scheduled before she was suddenly vaulted this week into being the likely Democratic presidential nominee, but the timing is awfully convenient.

Harris will reportedly meet separately with Netanyahu at the White House this week.

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who is Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, reportedly won’t beat Netanyahu’s address, either.

But virtually everyone else skipping the Israeli leader’s address is doing it to send the message that they reject his military campaign in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis he’s caused there, and how he’s damaged U.S.-Israel relations in the process.

It’s not just progressive firebrands planning to boycott. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just returned from a trip to Israel where he met with the families of hostages and those who lost loved ones on Oct. 7.

In a fiery speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday, Van Hollen ran through many reasons why he’ll be skipping Netanyahu’s address. One reason is that the Israeli families he just met told him that they haven’t heard from Netanyahu or any member of his government in the months since the Hamas attack.

“I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu: Before you come to speak to members of Congress, go meet with the families I saw whose loved ones were murdered on Oct. 7,” fumed the Maryland senator.

Van Hollen said he also heard from these families the same thing he’s seen reflected in polling: that large swaths of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign, and that they see his invitation to speak to Congress as a political stunt “to escape legal and political accountability” for his Oct. 7 failures.

Netanyahu is desperate to remain atop his “ultra-right extremist coalition” that he personally staffed with “racist, religious bigots,” charged the Democratic senator. “It sends a terrible message” to bring him to the United States right now.

Earlier Tuesday, more than 30 current and former Israeli senior executives and Israeli security officials told congressional leaders they had “grave concerns” about Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. They similarly warned that his trip is political, as he has “lost the support of the Israeli people” and is currently facing a criminal trial for fraud and bribery.

“Congress will be hosting a leader without a mandate and one who is facing prosecution for major crimes,” they wrote to Hill leaders. “We cannot overstate this: Prime Minister Netanyahu poses an existential threat to the State of Israel.”

Here’s a running list of all the lawmakers who have explicitly said they are boycotting Netanyahu’s address to Congress, drawn from various public statements:

In the Senate:

1. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)

2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

3. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

4. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)

5. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)

6. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)

In the House:

7. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)

8. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas)

9. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)

10. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)

11. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus

12. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)

13. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.)

14. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)

15. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.)

16. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.)

17. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)

18. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)

19. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)

20. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)

21. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.)

Huffington Post