Speaker Johnson Considering Having Netanyahu Address Congress Amid Rising Tensions With Democrats

(Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters on Wednesday that he was considering inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress.

Johnson’s comments came days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) savaged Netanyahu in a floor speech, calling him both an “obstacle to peace” in the Middle East and for new elections to remove him from office.

Johnson was asked to weigh in on the rising tensions between Netanyahu and Democrats led by the Biden administration.
“It’s one of the things that we have in mind, and we may try to arrange for that,” Johnson said of a possible address from Netanyahu.

“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 added, despite the fact that Johnson is holding up a Senate bill to provide more aid to Israel.

“I had a lengthy conversation this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu and reiterated to him that House Republicans’ strong support for Israel and their efforts there, and expressed my strong disagreement with Leader Schumer about what he said last week,” he added during a press conference Wednesday.

“We think it is not only foolhardy, it’s dangerous for him to be trying to suggest how Israel should run its domestic affairs in the midst of their conflict,” Johnson said, directly jabbing Schumer – the highest-ranking elected Jewish leader in the country.

“So you’ll see the House Republicans continue to stand forward and reiterate our support for Israel at this very critical time,” Johnson added.

The speaker was also asked about Donald Trump’s attack on Jewish Democrats, saying that they must “hate” their religion and Israel. “I don’t speak for President Trump, but I understand the sentiment that he’s trying to express,” Johnson said of the remarks that Schumer called “textbook anti-Semitism.”

Netanyahu spoke before Congress in 2015 at the invitation of GOP leadership in a highly publicized effort to tank President Barak Obama’s Iran nuclear deal. Netanyahu’s very public lobbying inside the U.S. has long raised eyebrows as he has publicly supported Republican presidential candidates during campaigns, a rarity among U.S. allies.