Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accepted an invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson to address a joint session of the United States Congress on Saturday.
In a statement from his office, Netanyahu said that he was “very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world."
The prime minister’s speech, expected later this summer, will be his fourth to the institution, breaking the previous record of three appearances by former United Kingdom leader Winston Churchill.
The invite reportedly faced delays from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who last March said in a floor speech that he felt that Netanyahu had “lost his way” while calling for new elections in the Jewish state.
Some leftist lawmakers in the U.S. told The Hill that they would likely boycott the event over Israel’s actions during the war in Gaza.
The last time Netanyahu spoke to the legislative chamber was in 2015, when Republican leaders invited him to speak out against the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with the regime in Iran. In that event, almost 60 Democrats refused to attend the proceeding.
There is no indication if there are any planned meetings with President Biden or White House officials during Netanyahu’s visit.
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