Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reach Washington today, under pressure to end the Gaza war both from Israelis who want hostages brought home and from a U.S. administration focusing increasingly on the presidential election. The visit, Netanyahu’s first to his most important international ally since returning for a record sixth term as prime minister at the end of 2022, has been overshadowed by President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection.
A meeting with Biden is tentatively planned for Tuesday if the president has recovered from Covid-19, and Netanyahu is scheduled to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.
After months of frosty relations with Washington over how Israel has conducted its offensive launched in Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, the visit offers Netanyahu a platform to try to reset relations with Washington.
His speech to Congress is expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and U.S. response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of the Gaza war spilling over into a wider regional conflict.
The speech is likely to be less confrontational than an address Netanyahu gave to Congress in 2015, when he criticised Barack Obama’s drive as president for a nuclear deal with Iran.
U.S. pressure on Israel for a resumption of talks on reaching a political agreement with the Palestinians, and a U.S. threat to withhold arms, have underlined perceptions in Israel that ties with Washington have weakened under Netanyahu. He has also faced protests in Israel demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Part of the goal is to try to show that with all that’s been said, with all the protests, Netanyahu is still the leader, still has support, he still has strong relations with America,” said Yonatan Freeman, an international relations specialist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The invitation for Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress – a rare honour generally reserved for the closest U.S. allies – was orchestrated by the House of Representatives Republican leadership, which has accused Biden of not showing sufficient support for Israel.
There was no immediate sign that the Israeli PM will see Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The two forged a close relationship during Trump’s presidency but Trump has since criticised Netanyahu and said the Gaza war must end quickly.
(With inputs from Reuters)
