Netanyahu’s speech: Some members of Congress will boycott. Who else have they snubbed?
As Congress prepares to host Netanyahu, a look back at the past two decades shows that Israel’s leaders are not the only ones that have been boycotted
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of the United States Congress in 2015. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
By Gall Sigler, Rebecca MasselJuly 11, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to speak at the Capitol on July 24, but the question of how many people he is actually going to be addressing is still up in the air, as some Democrats debate whether or not to boycott the speech. When Netanyahu addressed Congress in 2015, 58 out of the 535 members of Congress boycotted the event.
The Associated Press interviewed over a dozen Democrats last month who are debating whether or not to attend. Some claimed that this was part of a Republican ploy to create division within the Democratic Party or said they would not attend as a way to voice their dissent of how Israel is handling the war in Gaza. Others distinguished between the prime minister himself and the country, and are planning to attend in order to show their support for Israel.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that he would attend due to his position. The invitation, he said, “should not have taken place,” he added. “But I can’t control that. And I have to do my job.”
Those who boycott the speech will likely come from the Congressional Progressive Caucus — a delegation of 98 left-leaning members of Congress who have been the most critical of Israel over the past several months. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, the chair of the caucus, called the invitation a “bad idea,” explaining that Congress “should be putting pressure on him by withholding offensive military assistance so that he sticks to the deal that the president has laid out.”
Tensions between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden rose in June when Netanyahu released a video criticizing the Biden administration for allegedly withholding military support to Israel. The Israeli prime minister said that he told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel.” It is unclear if Netanyahu will meet with Biden during his time in Washington.
This is not the first time that members of Congress have boycotted a Netanyahu.
2015: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Amid a strained relationship with then-President Barack Obama’s administration over the Iran Deal, Netanyahu decided to accept an invitation from Republican representatives to speak to Congress in 2015.
Netanyahu’s decision to accept the Republican offer without an invitation from the White House upset the Democratic establishment, and 58 congresspeople declined to attend Netanyahu’s speech in response.
Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who skipped the speech, said that he would “refuse to be part of a reckless act of political grandstanding,” and called for the cancellation of Netanyahu’s trip, adding that “it’s deeply troubling that the speaker is willing to undercut diplomacy in exchange for theatrics on the House floor.”
And Netanyahu is certainly not the first Israeli leader whose speech has been boycotted by members of Congress.
2023: Israeli Prime Minister Isaac Herzog
Prior to Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s July 2023 speech before Congress, five members of “the Squad” — a group of nine left-leaning Democratic members of the House of Representatives — announced they would boycott the address.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, stated that “there is no way in hell” she will attend the speech, citing Israel’s refusal to grant Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib entry in 2019. Tlaib also did not attend, along with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri.
“The Israeli government is responsible for enforcing an apartheid state and rampantly abusing the rights of Palestinians,” Bush wrote in a tweet. “Congress should not be giving a platform to the President of a country that shows no respect for human rights. I will not be attending his joint address.”
However, the boycott may have then backfired when a few days before Herzog’s address, Jayapal said publicly, “I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state.” This led to criticism from both parties. Jayapal was forced to apologize, writing, “Words do matter and so it is important that I clarify my statement. I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist.” The House GOP then brought a vote as a form of rebuke before the entire House, and the majority of Democrats backed the resolution, affirming their support of Israel.
“I am not oblivious to criticism among friends, including some expressed by respected members of this House,” Herzog said during his address. “I respect criticism, especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept it. But criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the state of Israel’s right to exist.”
When members of Congress boycotted speeches by other world leaders
In the past two decades, members of Congress chose to skip at least seven other speeches, including leaders of France, Iraq, Ukraine, and India.
2023: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to both chambers of Congress in June, his second such speech since he took office in 2014. Modi, who heads the nationalistic BJP party, has been widely criticized for advancing Islamophobic rhetoric and policies.
The same four progressive Democratic representatives who intend to sit out Herzog’s address boycotted Modi’s speech.
“It’s shameful that Modi has been given a platform at our nation’s capital — his long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable,” said Tlaib.
2022: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy addressed both chambers of Congress in December 2022, marking his first trip outside of Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
While Zelenskyy met a generally enthusiastic welcome, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, boycotted the speech, calling Zelenskyy a “Ukrainian lobbyist.” Massie has long been critical of U.S. involvement in NATO and the war in Ukraine.
“If western news reports are correct and the Russian military is crumbling in Ukraine,” Massie tweeted earlier in 2022, “why are we talking about spending $ billions more in Congress for NATO countries this week?”
2015: Pope Francis
In the first ever joint session address by a pope, Pope Francis delivered a speech to Congress in 2015 that advocated for fighting poverty and climate change, and affirmed his opposition to capital punishment.
Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, who was raised Roman Catholic, decided to boycott the speech when he learned that “flawed climate change policies” would be central to Pope Francis’ address, and criticized the Pope for acting “like a leftist politician.”
2006: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
In a joint session of Congress at the height of the Iraq War in 2006, Iraq’s then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged American lawmakers to continue supporting his country amid political instability, and reiterated Iraq’s support for the “war on terror.”
A few Democrats decided to skip al-Maliki’s speech, some in protest of his disapproval of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon in response to a Hezbollah raid into Israeli territory. Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of the most prominent lawmakers to boycott the speech, did so partially because of al-Maliki’s refusal to publicly oppose extending amnesty to Iraqi insurgents who targeted American troops.
“If this is what American blood and dollars are being shed for, you’ve got to ask yourself, what’s the purpose?” Schumer said.
1996: French President Jacques Chirac
Then-President Chirac arrived in Washington in 1996 to speak to both chambers of Congress. France announced the end of its nuclear testing program only two days before his appearance, after a year of intense nuclear testing in the Pacific that drew international condemnation.
While Chirac was welcomed by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton, his previous pursuit of nuclear testing — despite vocal opposition from key allies like Australia and Japan — irked many Democratic members of Congress.
Only 30 out of 197 Democratic representatives were present for the speech.
“We return the insult with our insult,” said Washington, D.C., congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.
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