The long-time Israeli leader will speak to a joint meeting
of the Senate and House of Representatives at 1900 GMT, passing British wartime
leader Winston Churchill, who made such addresses three times.
Netanyahu's speech is expected to focus on coordinating the
Israeli and US response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where
there is a growing danger of the Gaza war spilling over into a wider
regional conflict.
He is
also expected to use his speech to call for stronger action against Iran, which
supports Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters and has drawn increased US
condemnation over its recent nuclear advances.
Though Netanyahu's visit was orchestrated by Congress'
Republican leaders, it is likely to be less confrontational than in 2015, when
Republicans sidestepped then-President Barack Obama and invited Netanyahu's to
Congress to criticize the Democrat's Iran policy.
This time, Netanyahu will seek to bolster his traditional
links to Republicans but also look to ease tensions with Biden, whom he will
rely on for the remaining six months in the president's term.
He must
also reach out to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has at times been more
forward-leaning than her boss in criticizing Israel for heavy Palestinian
civilian casualties in Gaza.
Activists have promised mass protests, and the Capitol
building was surrounded by high fencing and additional police. Dozens of
Washington streets were also due to be closed on Wednesday.
Netanyahu's speech comes as Washington is largely
preoccupied with the fallout from Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was
ending his re-election bid and endorsing Kamala for the Democratic presidential
nomination.
Dozens of Democrats plan to skip the speech, many expressing
dismay over Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave and saying they do not want
to help Netanyahu offset declining domestic poll numbers. The Palestinian death
toll from the offensive has exceeded 39,000, Gaza health officials said.
"For him, this is all about shoring up his support back
home, which is one of the reasons I don't want to attend," Senator Chris
Van Hollen told reporters. "I don't want to be part of a political prop in
this act of deception. He is not the great guardian of the US-Israel
relationship."
The
Democrats planning to stay away also included Senators Dick Durbin, the
chamber's number two Democrat, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz, all
members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Patty Murray, who
chairs Senate Appropriations.
In the
House, those staying away included progressives like Representatives Rashida
Tlaib and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Ami Bera, a senior member of the
Foreign Affairs Committee, and Adam Smith, the top Democrat on Armed Services.
Smith said he never attends joint meetings but also
described himself on Tuesday as "very, very opposed to what Prime Minister
Netanyahu is doing in Israel."
Murray
normally would have presided, as the senior Senate Democrat, because
Harris will not attend. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who leads the foreign
relations committee, will replace her.
Some Republicans criticized Kamala for traveling outside
Washington instead of going to the speech. She will meet with Netanyahu
separately.
But she was not the only candidate staying away. Republican
Senator JD Vance, running for vice president on the ticket with former
President Donald Trump, will be away "as he has duties to fulfill as the
Republican nominee for Vice President," Trump campaign senior adviser
Jason Miller said in a statement.
Netanyahu was to travel to Florida to meet with
Trump later this week. The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump's
presidency, during which the two forged close ties.
