WASHINGTON — Four top members of Congress on Friday formally invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are the ones behind the invitation, according to The Associated Press.
“We join the State of Israel in your struggle against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders jeopardize regional stability,” the letter says, according to USA Today.
“For this reason, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, we would like to invite you to address a Joint Meeting of Congress,” the letter said, according to CNN.
I am honored to invite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress. pic.twitter.com/rYKx0Z1p93
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 31, 2024
“I am honored to invite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress,” Johnson said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Schumer has supported inviting Netanyahu to speak on multiple occasions but according to USA Today, it reportedly took him a few weeks to sign the letter so that the timing can be worked out. He has also been critical of how Netanyahu has been approaching the war but fully supports Israel. Schumer is one of the highest-ranking Jewish officials in American history.
The Israel-Hamas war is in its seventh month after the surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, the AP reported.
No date has been set yet for the speech, according to the AP.
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