Highlighting 'America’s solidarity with Israel' US Congress formally invites Netanyahu to speak at joint session

The Israeli prime minister will be country's first leader to address both Houses of Congress for a fourth time

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly received a formal invitation from the U.S. Congress to address a joint session, despite tensions with the Biden administration concerning the direction of the war with Hamas in Gaza.

“We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” the bi-partisan lawmakers wrote in the letter.

The invitation to Netanyahu was signed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

The top-ranking Democrat and Republican lawmakers stated they want to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel."

“The horrific attacks of October 7th shocked the world and forced your nation into a fight for its very existence. 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 stated. “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 signatories added.

An unnamed Israeli official confirmed that Netanyahu had received the invitation to address a joint session of Congress. While no date has been made public, a source told The Hill news outlet it would allegedly take place “as soon as the next eight weeks or soon after August recess.”

The invitation to Netanyahu comes after weeks of delay within the U.S. Congress on whether to host the Israeli premier. These delays were reportedly due to initial disagreements among members of Congress.

Netanyahu responded to the invitation and acknowledged the honor to represent Israel at this unique standing.

“I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world,” he said in a statement.

In March, when diplomatic ties between U.S. President Joe Biden and Netanyahu were particularly strained due to the Gaza war, Schumer called Netanyahu an “obstacle to peace” and urged Israel to hold elections and choose a new political leadership.

“The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7. The world has changed – radically since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” Schumer stated at the time.

“Netanyahu has lost his way, putting himself in coalition with far-right extremists like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir,” he added.

However, in May, Schumer announced that support for Israel was “ironclad” regardless of who sits in the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.

“I’m discussing that now with the speaker of the House, and, as I’ve always said, our relationship with Israel is ironclad,” Schumer said. “It transcends any one prime minister or president.”

Support for Israel had traditionally been a solid bipartisan issue in American politics.

The rise of far-left Democrat lawmakers in the U.S. government has increased pressure on the Biden administration to reduce its support for Israel.