Patty Murray will skip Israeli prime minister’s address to Congress, calling for ceasefire in Gaza

WASHINGTON – When Israel’s prime minister delivers a controversial address to Congress on Wednesday, it won’t be with the usual backdrop for such an occasion.

Vice President Kamala Harris, in her official role as Senate president, would normally sit behind Benjamin Netanyahu when he addresses a joint session of Congress. With Harris out of town for a previously scheduled event, that role falls to Sen. Patty Murray, the Senate president pro tempore, but the Washington state Democrat said Tuesday she will skip the speech.

“Securing a lasting, mutual ceasefire is of the utmost importance right now, and I will continue to push for one to be reached as soon as possible,” Murray said in a statement explaining her decision. “I hope Prime Minister Netanyahu will use the opportunity to address how he plans to secure a ceasefire – and lasting peace in the region.”

Netanyahu’s visit comes almost exactly a year after Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, addressed Congress to mark his nation’s 75th anniversary. Much has changed since Hamas launched a massive, coordinated attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people – most of them civilians – according to the Israeli government.

In response, Israel has waged a nearly 10-month bombing campaign that has flattened much of Gaza and displaced virtually all of the territory’s 2.1 million residents. The death toll in Gaza has exceeded 39,000, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, while the United Nations places the number of identified victims at about 25,000 and human rights groups fear the true figure could be far higher.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., invited Israel’s embattled head of government in May, at a time when the Democratic Party has been divided over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that the U.S. government classifies as a terrorist organization.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined in a letter formally inviting the prime minister despite calling for Netanyahu to resign. In a lengthy speech on the Senate floor in March, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S. government and a longtime supporter of Israel, called Netanyahu an obstacle to peace.

During the Oct. 7 attack, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups captured 251 hostages, of whom 116 remain unaccounted for, according to the Israeli government. In her statement, Murray said freeing the remaining hostages should be a top priority.

“The United States’ commitment to Israel’s security remains ironclad, and reaching a lasting ceasefire is critical so that we can see the remaining hostages are finally released, a surge of humanitarian aid, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the rebuilding of Gaza, and ultimately, enduring peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike living side by side in two states,” she said.

Hamas leaders have rejected ceasefire proposals that would allow Israel to resume its effort to eliminate the group entirely, not only its military capability, but its ability to govern.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has long led the right-wing Likud party but has now allied himself with far-right parties and has been indicted on fraud and bribery charges. His critics accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war out of self-interest to postpone elections, because polls suggest he would lose.

Rep. Adam Smith of Bellevue, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told the Washington Post on Tuesday that he wouldn’t attend Netanyahu’s address, not as a boycott, but because he never attends joint sessions. He added that he had personally met with Netanyahu in Israel and supported the United States continuing to provide arms to Israel.

“I am very, very opposed to what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing in Israel,” Smith said. “I think he needs to do more to get to a peace deal in Gaza.”

Most Republicans have said they plan to attend the address. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane, Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside and Russ Fulcher of Idaho all said they would be there, as did Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Seattle Democrat who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, will also skip the address. Instead, she said in a statement Tuesday, she will meet with families of hostages still in Gaza and attend a panel event with Israeli and Palestinian leaders who are “dedicated to finding a path toward peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu should not have been invited to come and speak to the U.S. Congress,” Jayapal said. “I cannot in good conscience sit and listen to him speak as Palestinian people starve and hostages, including Israelis and Americans, remain in captivity.”