Netanyahu to address joint session of Congress on July 24 — sources

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress on July 24, an Israeli official and an aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed to The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu last week received a formal invitation to address Congress.

It was initially reported that the speech would take place on June 13 but the premier’s office nixed the idea as it is the second day of the Shavuot holiday.

Spearheaded by Johnson, the invitation was issued after weeks of delay caused by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who gave a speech on the Senate floor in March calling for early elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu. Schumer ultimately acquiesced, saying he was prepared to cooperate with a Netanyahu address as long as it was done in a bipartisan manner.

An official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel last month that Netanyahu has been speaking in recent weeks with interest to Republican Congressional leaders about a potential joint session address, viewing it as an opportunity to make Israel’s war case on the global stage and is less concerned about some of the political fallout within the US.

Republicans, including presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, have been eager to display their support for Netanyahu and expose the Democratic divisions over Israel.

Nearly 60 Democrats boycotted Netanyahu’s last joint session address in 2015, which was organized by Republican Congressional leaders behind the back of then-president Barack Obama for the Israeli premier to lobby against the nuclear deal that Washington wound up signing with Iran later that year.

A much larger number of Democrats would likely boycott a Netanyahu speech, as the war in Gaza has become increasingly unpopular among progressives.