“The existential challenges we face, together with the rising partnership between Iran, Russia, and China, threaten the safety, peace, and prosperity of our international locations,” wrote Johnson, Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Chief Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) within the invitation.
“We look ahead to listening to the Israeli authorities’s imaginative and prescient for defending democracy, combating terror, and establishing a simply and lasting peace within the area,” Johnson stated in Thursday’s announcement.
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The invitation comes towards the backdrop of U.S. political divisions over Israel’s harmful conflict in Gaza. Officers in Washington, Israel’s strongest ally, have more and more voiced frustration with Netanyahu as he faces worldwide condemnation over an Israeli assault in Rafah and famine within the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Whereas U.S. officers shuttle across the area looking for to clinch a deal for a cease-fire and the discharge of Hamas hostages, Netanyahu is underneath U.S. stress to again a proposal outlined by President Biden final week because the Israeli choice.
However Netanyahu has distanced himself from the proposal, after his far-right companions threatened to convey down his coalition if he agrees to the deal.
The conflict in Gaza has accelerated a dynamic that has been years within the making, as Netanyahu’s tensions with Democrats and his technique of aligning with Republicans helped fray the bipartisan American consensus behind Israel.
Alluding to a few of the divisions, Schumer stated in an announcement that he had agreed to Netanyahu’s deal with regardless of having “clear and profound disagreements” with the Israeli chief, “as a result of America’s relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one individual or prime minister.” Schumer, one in every of Israel’s staunchest supporters in Congress, criticized Netanyahu and referred to as for brand spanking new elections in a scathing speech in March that drew backlash from Israeli officers.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has promised to boycott a Netanyahu speech to Congress, stated Thursday that Netanyahu mustn’t have been honored with the invitation, accusing him of “going to conflict towards your complete Palestinian individuals.”
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, can also be underneath stress at residence from the households of hostages urging a deal to safe the discharge of these nonetheless held by Hamas.
One other problem is coming from Benny Gantz, a political rival of Netanyahu, who gave the embattled chief till Saturday to current a long-term plan for Gaza, or he says he’ll step down from the conflict cupboard and pull his celebration from the federal government.
Israeli jets seem to have used a U.S.-made munition in a lethal strike on a U.N. faculty in Gaza on Thursday, in keeping with weapons specialists. The assault killed 33 individuals, together with 9 kids, the Related Press reported. An Israeli navy spokesman stated 20 to 30 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters have been working from a compound inside the college. The top of the U.N. company for Palestinian refugees stated the college in central Gaza had been sheltering hundreds of displaced individuals when it was hit “with out prior warning.” The Israeli navy stated Friday it was persevering with operations, together with airstrikes, towards militants in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and in Rafah in southern Gaza.
It can value at the very least $22 million to restore the pier constructed off Gaza’s coast by the U.S. navy, in keeping with two Pentagon officers who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate navy plans. The mission to ship help to ravenous Palestinians through the pier instantly confronted obstacles when it started final month and was suspended after extreme setbacks, in addition to dangerous climate. The undertaking has drawn criticism from help employees and lawmakers, who contend that as an alternative of constructing the pier, the administration ought to do extra to stress Israel to ease restriction on help into Gaza by way of land crossings.
Not less than 36,654 individuals have been killed and 83,309 injured in Gaza because the conflict began, in keeping with the Gaza Well being Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants however says the vast majority of the useless are ladies and youngsters. Israel estimates that about 1,200 individuals have been killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, together with greater than 300 troopers. It says 294 troopers have been killed because the launch of its navy operations in Gaza.
Steve Hendrix, Louisa Loveluck, Hajar Harb, Cate Brown and Niha Masih contributed to this report.
