Netanyahu to speak at US-hosted democracy summit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to make a virtual appearance at the US State Department’s Democracy Summit later this week, two US officials tell The Times of Israel.

Israel is one of the roughly 120 countries invited to participate in the three-day confab that begins tomorrow. Netanyahu is slated to send a pre-recorded speech and participate in a panel on the economic benefits of democratic rule, a US official says, confirming a report in the Haaretz daily.

At a briefing earlier today, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was peppered with questions about whether the US would be rescinding its invitation to Netanyahu, given his government’s efforts to overhaul the judiciary.

Kirby said he did not have anything to share on the matter.

While Democratic-backsliding counties like Turkey and Hungary did not receive invitations, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Brazil did and will have representatives appearing alongside Netanyahu.