Netanyahu is in Washington at a fraught time for Israel and the US. What to know about his visit (2024)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week is looming as a fraught one between the two allies, coming at a moment of extreme political flux in the United States and wariness among American leaders about Netanyahu’s history of interjecting himself into U.S. domestic politics.

The main purpose of Netanyahu’s visit is a speech to a joint meeting of Congress. But at stake, in meetings with administration officials, are hopes for progress in U.S.-led efforts to mediate an end to the nine-month Israel-Hamas war. The visit comes as the toll of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza nears 40,000. It’s also in a week when new deaths were reported among the surviving hostages — who include Israelis, Americans and other nationalities — held by Hamas and other militants since the first hours of the war.

Netanyahu planned his trip weeks before the ground abruptly started heaving under U.S. politics this summer. That includes a July 13 assassination attempt against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and President Joe Biden’s decision Sunday to give up his faltering reelection campaign and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency instead.

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Protests are planned for Netanyahu’s planned speech to both houses of Congress on Wednesday.

A look at the visit:

Israel’s leader visits the U.S. Capitol in what is sure to be a high-profile test of diplomacy, politics, and security.

Why Netanyahu is coming

The political aspect for Netanyahu is that his popularity has plummeted at home, and the visit — at least originally — was seen as giving him a chance to show himself as a global statesman, welcomed by the lawmakers and leaders of Israel’s closest ally and the world’s only superpower.

House Speaker Mike Johnson helped bring about Netanyahu’s address to lawmakers, highlighting firm Republican support for the Israeli leader. Netanyahu has had tense relations with Biden despite the administration’s military and diplomatic support for Israel’s war.

Biden and Netanyahu are expected to meet Thursday, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the White House announcement. Harris will also meet with Netanyahu separately that day.

Speaking for the White House side of things, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a security conference in Colorado last week that Biden planned to focus on working out what it will take for the United States, Israel and others to get a hostage-release and cease-fire deal done in the coming weeks.

Biden called in to a meeting of campaign staffers Monday, telling them, “I think we’re on the verge” of ending the war.

For his part, Netanyahu pointed to longer-term issues before flying out of Israel Monday. He said he wanted to talk to Biden about continuing the war against Hamas, and confronting other Iran-backed armed groups in the region, as well as freeing hostages.

Why Netanyahu’s visit is controversial

Israel’s war has been intensely divisive in the United States, spurring protests and resulting in arrests on college campuses, alienating some voters on both sides of the issue, and frustrating months of effort by Biden to bring the fighting to a close.

The trip is the first time Netanyahu has traveled abroad since the war broke out Oct. 7. It’s also his first since the International Criminal Court said it was seeking his arrest in what it said were possible war crimes in Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Israel denies wrongdoing, and the U.S. does not recognize the ICC.

Netanyahu faces complaints in Israel that he is avoiding closing a cease-fire and hostage-release deal so as to stay in power, a charge repeated Monday by a relative of one hostage.

Netanyahu also has not been shy about criticizing Democratic administrations, including Biden’s. In 2015, the Israeli leader used a speech to both houses of Congress to try to torpedo lawmaker and popular support for President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. He condemned it as a bad and dangerous deal, angering administration officials.

Sullivan said administration officials don’t expect this week to be a repeat of 2015.

Netanyahu’s timing

It appears bad. Even as Netanyahu was headed for Washington on Monday, American politics and voters were still adjusting to the abrupt shift of focus from Biden to Harris in the Democratic presidential race. Biden was still in Delaware getting over COVID-19.

Harris, as Senate president, would normally sit behind foreign leaders, but she’ll be away Wednesday, on an Indianapolis trip scheduled before she became the leading Democratic presidential candidate over the weekend.

Trump agreed to a Friday meeting with the Israeli leader. Trump announced it on Truth Social, using it to promote what he wrote was his “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH Agenda” abroad.

Trump has had a mixed relationship with Netanyahu, including cursing him for what Trump portrayed as Netanyahu’s quick recognition of Biden’s victory in the 2020 elections.

Protests are planned

Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress will look a bit different from previous such addresses, in part due to opposition among Democrats to his conduct of the war in Gaza.

With Harris away, Senate Pro Tempore Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, is next in line to fill the seat behind Netanyahu, but she is among the lawmakers declining to attend. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Ben Cardin will sit there instead. He told The Associated Press he hoped Netanyahu would use the speech to lay out a future for both Israelis and Palestinians.

While families of some hostages were reported to be traveling with Netanyahu, other relatives who fault his handling of the crisis said they would also be sitting in the chamber.

Some lawmakers who planned to boycott the address said they would spend the time talking with the families of those held by Hamas.

Multiple protests are planned outside the Capitol, with some condemning the Israeli military campaign overall, and others expressing support for Israel but pressing Netanyahu to strike a cease-fire deal and bring home hostages.

The largest protest is set for Wednesday morning, with organizers planning to march around the Capitol building demanding Netanyahu’s arrest on war crimes charges. A permit application submitted to the National Park Service estimated at least 5,000 participants.

Protests were held Tuesday and were to continue throughout the day Wednesday. Relatives of Israeli hostages are planning a vigil on the National Mall.

Security is tight

Fencing was up around entry points to the Capitol and the hotel along the Potomac River where Netanyahu is staying. Capitol Police and Secret Service were out in greater numbers, stepping up screening and protection for the Israeli leader’s visit.

The Metropolitan Police Department announced an extended series of street closures that will last most of the week.

The visit comes at a moment the Secret Service, which handles protection of visiting foreign leaders, is under greater security and intense political criticism from both parties over security failures in the attack on Trump. Kimberly Cheatle, director of the Secret Service, quit Tuesday over the failures.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Netanyahu is in Washington at a fraught time for Israel and the US. What to know about his visit (2024)

FAQs

Netanyahu is in Washington at a fraught time for Israel and the US. What to know about his visit? ›

The main purpose of Netanyahu's visit is a speech to a joint meeting of Congress. But at stake, in meetings with administration officials, are hopes for progress in U.S.-led efforts to mediate an end to the nine-month Israel-Hamas war.

Why is Netanyahu in Washington? ›

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in Washington as he sought to bolster U.S. support for his country's war in Gaza.

Why is Netanyahu in America? ›

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the US Congress comes after nine months of war in Gaza following the 7 October attacks. Netanyahu arrived in Washington seeking to secure bipartisan support for Israel and to lay out his country's blueprint for the future or so-called 'day after'.

Did Benjamin Netanyahu ever live in the US? ›

Between 1956 and 1958, and again from 1963 to 1967, his family lived in the United States in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, while father Benzion Netanyahu taught at Dropsie College.

Who boycotted the Netanyahu address? ›

Among the boycotters are former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Isolationist Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) made clear he was explicitly boycotting the speech as well, saying he didn't want to be a "prop" for Netanyahu.

Is Israel a friend to the US? ›

The United States of America was the first country to recognize the nascent State of Israel. Since the 1960s, the American Israeli relationship has grown into a mutually beneficial alliance in economic, strategic and military aspects. The United States has provided strong support for Israel.

Why did Netanyahu change his name? ›

It was a common practice for Zionist immigrants at the time to adopt a Hebrew name. Nathan Mileikowsky began signing some of the articles he wrote "Netanyahu", the Hebrew version of his first name, and his son adopted this as his family name. He also used the pen name "Nitay."

Who didn't attend Netanyahu's speech? ›

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking to Congress on Wednesday about Israel's ongoing war with Hamas, and a number of key Democrats—including Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—are not attending the controversial address as tensions between the U.S. and Israel continue.

Why is Netanyahu called Bibi? ›

Bibi is the famous nickname of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…in Israel his first name is pronounced BINJamin/Benjamin in Hebrew…so BI for the first syllable of his name then JamIn…with a second “i” in the middle…which literally translated into Endlish would mean “Son of the Righteous”!

Does the United States recognize Israel? ›

The United States was the first country to recognize Israel as an independent state on May 14, 1948, when President Harry Truman issued a statement of recognition following Israel's proclamation of independence on the same date.

Where does the president live in Israel? ›

The President's House, known in Hebrew as Beit HaNassi ('בֵּית הַנָּשִׂיא) and Mishkan HaNassi (מִשְׁכָּן הַנָּשִׂיא), is the official residence of the President of Israel. It is located in the Talbiya neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Did President Biden meet with Netanyahu? ›

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House Thursday afternoon, where sources told CNN the president was expected to be as forceful as he has ever been in urging Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire agreement, as US officials believe that a deal may be on the cusp.

How many brothers does Benjamin Netanyahu have? ›

Benjamin (nicknamed "Bibi") was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1996, in 2009 and reelected in 2013, 2015, 2020 and 2022. Iddo, the youngest of the three, is a radiologist and writer. All three brothers served in Sayeret Matkal.

Did Harris attend Netanyahu's speech? ›

Harris did not attend the prime minister's speech to Congress. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday to discuss the U.S.-Israeli relationship amid tensions over the ongoing conflict in Gaza and a changing political landscape in the United States.

What is Benjamin Netanyahu's real name? ›

Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current and ninth Prime Minister of Israel. He was born in Tel Aviv on October 21, 1949 to mother Tzila Segal and father Benzion Netanyahu (originally Mileikowsky).

Who is Benjamin Netanyahu's daughter? ›

Yair Netanyahu was born in Jerusalem to Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara. He has a brother, Avner Netanyahu, and a half-sister, Noa Netanyahu-Roth; Noa is Benjamin Netanyahu's daughter by his first wife, Miriam Haran née Weizmann.

Where is Yoni Netanyahu buried? ›

The operation itself was a success, and was renamed as Mivtsa Yonatan ("Operation Jonathan" in English) in his honor. Netanyahu was buried in Jerusalem's Military Cemetery at Mount Herzl on July 6 following a military funeral attended by enormous crowds and top-ranking officials.

Which president went to Israel? ›

Israel
NameLocaleDate
Richard M. NixonTel Aviv, JerusalemJune 16–17, 1974
James E. CarterTel Aviv, JerusalemMarch 10–13, 1979
William J. ClintonJerusalemOctober 27–28, 1994
William J. ClintonJerusalemNovember 5–6, 1995
7 more rows

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