Israel’s president may be delivering an address before a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, but it is Benjamin Netanyahu who is top of mind for Democrats.
Isaac Herzog arrived in Washington this week, a visit marking the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding. His role as president is largely ceremonial — Netanyahu, as the country’s prime minister, has led the government since returning to power in December.But Herzog was viewed as a more palatable choice to Democrats, who are furious over the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Netanyahu’s plan to curb the power of Israel’s judiciary.
Democratic leadership issued a joint statement rebuking Jayapal, as did a group of 43 House Democrats who called efforts to demonize Israel “dangerous and antisemitic.” The party sees Netanyahu, who has been in and out of power for decades, as an obstacle to Palestinian statehood, citing his nationalist policies. His proposed judicial reforms, meant to reinforce his coalition’s power, have further inflamed tensions.
The decision to invite Herzog, who unsuccessfully tried to steer Netanyahu toward a compromise on the judicial reforms, has not placated the hard-line members of the Democratic conference, whom Republicans believe are animated by antisemitism, or at least anti-Israel sentiment, not a problem with the Israeli Right.
Yet for mainstream Democrats, the conflict with Netanyahu is one of personality and policy. Rep. Nancy Pelosi , the former speaker of the House, called Herzog a “really great person” on Tuesday and rebuked the Squad for skipping the address. Nearly 60 Democrats, upset that then-Speaker John Boehner had not notified the White House of the invitation first, skipped the speech that year, among them Joe Biden, who was vice president at the time.
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