Prominent US Senator calls Netanyahu’s invitation to Congress a mistake

US Senator Chris Van Hollen, a well-known US politician and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the decision of the House of Representatives and the Senate to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Van Hollen said a speech by Netanyahu to the US Congress risked being seen as a signal that Washington approved of his war strategy in the Gaza Strip, which has so far claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians.

With his speech, he also wants to signal to Netanyahu that he can meet the Democrats’ repeated demands that the Israeli military should do more to protect the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

“I am not sure why the United States would want to reward a prime minister who has repeatedly disregarded the demands of the President of the United States,” Van Hollen said.

“Netanyahu wants to come here and pretend to be Winston Churchill – but he is not Winston Churchill.”

The remarks appear to refer to a video posted by Netanyahu in which he criticizes the administration of US President Joe Biden for withholding a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel.

He compared Israel’s war against Gaza to Britain’s fight against Nazi Germany in World War II, citing a famous speech by Winston Churchill in which he called on the United States to supply Britain with new weapons.

“Give us the tools and we will get the job done much faster,” Netanyahu said.

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Van Hollen’s comments are notable because he is closer to the center of the Democratic Party and has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from pro-Israel donors.

He is far less critical of Israel’s war effort than more progressive lawmakers such as Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Cori Bush of Missouri or Jamaal Bowman of New York.

The leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, from both the Democratic and Republican leadership, invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on July 24.

“We support the State of Israel in its fight against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders threaten regional stability,” the MPs said in a letter to the prime minister.

The invitation comes despite growing criticism of Netanyahu’s leadership of the Gaza war, which has also led to public disagreements with the White House.

Several lawmakers have announced they will boycott the speech, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. 58 lawmakers stayed away from Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in 2015.

Van Hollen not only rejected the idea of ​​inviting Netanyahu to Washington, but also reiterated the demand to suspend the supply of offensive weapons to Israel until assurances are received that Israel will not hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“When it comes to offensive weapons systems, I don’t think we should pursue a blank check policy in one direction,” Van Hollen said.